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Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension 
on  Sunday,  November  24th 


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THE  BOARD  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  AND  CHURCH 
EXTENSION 


1026  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

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Methodism  and  the 
Republic 


Uncorrected  proof  sheets  sent  out  in  advance  to  pastors 
intending  to  take  the  collection  for  Home  Missions 
and  Church  Extension  on  Sunday, 

November  24th 


7 

V 


Statements  herein  contained  are  not 
supposed  to  need  revision 


Zbc  JBoard  of  Ibome  fHMsafons  anO  Cburcb 
Extension 


1026  Arch  Street*  Philadelphia,  Penna. 


TO  THE  PASTOR 


7 


This  is  not  our  completed  book  on  Home 
Missions  and  Church  Extension.  It  is  a com- 
pilation of  proof  sheets.  All  the  forthcoming 
chapters  are  not  inserted,  but  as  many  are  in- 
cluded as  pastors  may  need  in  preparing  for  the 
presentation  of  the  cause  Sunday,  November 
24th.  The  articles  are  not  in  logical  order,  hence 
we  have  not  numbered  the  pages. 

The  marginal  notes  are  omitted.  Our  plan  is : 

1.  We  start  the  press  before  the  manuscripts 
are  all  in,  and  thus  get  this  information  to  you, 
though  incomplete  in  form,  that  you  may  have  it 
several  weeks  in  advance  of  the  delivery  of  the 
finished  book. 

We  conclude  that  what  you  prefer  is  the  tim- 
ber— even  in  the  rough — and  want  it  now,  that 
you  may  have  time  to  work  it  over  into  the 
finished  product  of  one  or  more  addresses.  To 
meet  this  demand  we  temporarily  sacrifice  liter- 
ary and  artistic  form  to  the  higher  law  of  utility. 
This  is  but  the  beginning  of  our  endeavors  to 
keep  you  in  close  first-hand  touch  with  what 
you  have  a right  to  know  about  the  field.  We 
will  have  our  eyes  on  the  horizon  and  transmit 
to  you  the  outlook.  You  will  herald  the  tidings 
to  your  people.  We  wish  to  help  you  with 
Christian  journalistic  enterprise. 

We  bespeak  a careful  reading  of  these  pages. 
They  are  all  from  new  manuscripts.  Many  of 
the  statements  are  startling.  This  country  has 
never  known  such  sudden,  radical,  hopeful 


changes  as  in  the  last  five  years.  These  articles 
are  not  merely  historical,  they  are  also  snap-shots 
of  America  today. 

2.  This  special  issue  of  proof  sheets  is  at  a 
comparatively  small  expense,  but  we  believe  in 
your  hands  they  will  aid  you  to  materially  in- 
crease your  collection.  This  issue  of  chapters  in 
this  form  is  not  for  sale.  It  is  printed  exclu- 
sively for  the  pastors  and  Presiding  Elders.  The 
book  proper  will  not  be  on  sale  until  after 
November  24th. 

3.  With  this  matter  in  your  hands  we  may 
somewhat  delay  the  issue  of  the  book  in  order  to 
give  it  most  careful  revision. 

As  per  our  agreement,  a copy  will  be  for- 
warded you  gratis  as  soon  as  published.  Kindly 
consider  yourself  one  to  whom  we  commit 
these  proofs  that  you  may  make  suggestions  to 
us  concerning  the  book. 

4.  The  other  accessories  for  your  collection— 
the  maps,  envelopes  and  responsive  services — will 
reach  you  in  good  time. 

Possibly,  after  examining  the  subject  matter 
in  these  pages,  you  may  conclude  to  preach  more 
than  once  or  twice  before  November  24th  on 
these  burning  present-day  questions. 

5.  The  logical  order  of  these  chapters  as  ar- 
ranged in  the  book  will  be  about  as  follows : 

The  South ; The  West ; The  Mormons ; The 
Indian;  Porto  Rico;  Hawaii;  The  Philippines; 
Foreigners  in  the  United  States ; Germans ; Nor- 
wegians and  Danes ; Swedes ; Italians ; Greek 
and  Portuguese ; Poles  and  Bohemians ; Chinese ; 
Japanese;  New  England;  The  City;  Woman’s 
Work.  X Robert  Forbes. 

Ward  Platt. 


METHODISM  AND  THE 
REPUBLIC 


DR.  ROBERT  FORBES 


Methodism  was  born  when  John  Wesley’s  heart 
was  strangely  warmed.  This  took  place  at  a quar- 
ter before  nine  o’clock  on  the  twenty-fourth  day 
of  May,  1738.  Mr.  Wesley’s  relation  to  God  and 
God’s  relation  to  him  were  not  changed  by  this 
experience.  He  was  not  converted  at  that  time. 
He  was  a Christian — did  not  need  conversion; 
but  he  made  a great  and  important  discovery, 
namely : That  he  was  a son  of  God.  He  did  not 
become  a son  of  God  at  that  moment,  but  dis- 
covered a relation  that  he  already  sustained. 
Methodism  took  a grand  forward  step  when  this 
devout  young  Protestant  Episcopal  clergyman 
stood  on  his  father ’s  tombstone  in  the  old  church- 
yard and  declared,  “The  world  is  my  parish!” 

‘ ‘ Aggressive  Evangelism  ’ ’ was  well  under  way 
when  “In  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1739  eight 
or  ten  persons  who  appeared  to  be  deeply  con- 
vinced of  sin  and  earnestly  groaning  for  re- 
demption, came  to  Mr.  Wesley  in  London.  They 
desired,  as  did  two  or  three  more  the  next  day, 
that  he  would  spend  some  time  with  them  in 
prayer,  and  advise  them  how  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come,  which  they  saw  continually  hang- 
ing over  their  heads.” 

Mr.  Wesley  had  been  a missionary  in  Georgia 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

and  was  therefore  providentially  interested  in 
the  New  World. 

A great  battle  was  fought  in  the  year  1759 
on  the  Plains  of  Abraham  at  Quebec.  This  bat- 
tle was  not  so  great  in  the  number  of  men  en- 
gaged and  the  number  of  lives  sacrificed  as 
some  others,  but  it  was  exceedingly  important  in 
that  it  decided  that  English  and  not  French 
should  be  the  dominant  language  on  the  conti- 
nent of  America;  that  Protestantism  and  not 
Romanism  should  mould  the  religious  thought 
of  the  New  World. 

Travelers  reverently  stand  with  uncovered 
heads  beside  the  monument  erected  to  the 
memory  of  General  Wolfe,  the  hero  of  Quebec. 

“In  the  year  1766  Philip  Embury,  a Wesleyan 
local  preacher  from  Ireland,  began  to  preach  in 
New  York  City,  and  formed  a society,  now  the 
John  Street  Church.” 

Philip  Embury  7s  first  congregation  consisted 
of  five  persons,  and  their  place  of  meeting  was 
a room  in  his  own  home.  “Aggressive  Evangel- 
ism” had  made  a mighty  forward  movement. 

Another  local  preacher,  Thomas  Webb,  a cap- 
tain in  the  British  army,  soon  joined  him,  and 
they  preached  elsewhere  in  the  city  and  its 
vicinity. 

About  the  same  time  Robert  Strawbridge, 
from  Ireland,  settled  in  Frederick  County,  Mary- 
land, preaching  there  and  forming  societies. 
“Aggressive  Evangelism”  was  on  the  march  for 
the  conquest  of  America. 

“In  1769  Mr.  Wesley  sent  to  America  two 
itinerant  preachers,  Richard  Boardman  and 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

Joseph  Pillmoor,  and  in  1771  two  others,  Francis 
Asbury  and  Richard  Wright.’ ’ 

The  first  Methodist  conference  met  in  St. 
George’s  Church,  Philadelphia,  July  24,  1773. 
There  were  ten  preachers  present.  “Aggressive 
Evangelism”  had  its  eye  over  a continent  and 
was  girding  itself  for  glorious  achievement.  The 
words  were  not  used,  but  the  spirit  of  the  move- 
ment meant  ‘ ‘ America  for  Christ.  ’ ’ 

In  1766,  just  ten  years  after  Philip  Embury 
began  to  preach,  and  four  years  after  the  meet- 
ing of  the  first  conference,  forty-eight  patriots 
signed  their  names  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. These  were  the  days  of  Lexington, 
Concord  Bridge,  Valley  Forge,  Germantown  and 
Brandywine ; the  days  when  the  soil  of  the  infant 
colonies  was  being  baptized  with  heroes’  blood, 
that  a nation  might  be  born. 

In  the  year  1783  Great  Britain  recognized  by 
treaty  the  independence  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  year  1784  the  Christmas  Conference 
met  in  Baltimore,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  formally  organized.  Thomas  Coke, 
the  first  Protestant  Bishop  of  the  New  World, 
was  there.  He  came  across  the  sea  with  the 
wreath  of  scholarship  on  his  brow,  a Bishop, 
having  been  consecrated  to  the  episcopal  office 
by  Mr.  Wesley.  Francis  Asbury,  the  Apos- 
tolic Bishop  of  Methodism,  was  consecrated  at 
that  conference.  “Aggressive  Evangelism”  had 
its  vigorous  hand  on  the  destinies  of  the  young 
Republic,  and  Methodism  entered  upon  its 
career  as  an  organized  Church,  the  first  Epis- 
copal Church  on  the  continent ; it  purpose 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

being  to  spread  spiritual  holiness  through  these 
lands. 

Who  can  read  the  story  of  the  rise  of  the 
Republic  and  the  rise  of  Methodism  without 
believing  that  God  was  raising  up  a great  spirit- 
ual force  that  should  aid  largely  in  molding 
the  thought  and  sentiment  of  the  young 
Nation. 

The  story  of  early  Methodism  as  read  in  the 
lives  of  Asbury  and  his  associates,  as  with  brave 
and  dauntless  spirits  they  went  everywhere 
preaching  the  Word,  is  as  thrilling  as  a romance. 

Time  wore  on  until  that  mighty  struggle  came 
in  which  North  and  South  struggled  for  the 
mastery.  The  boys  in  blue  fought  for  the 
Union,  the  soldiers  in  gray  laid  down  their  lives 
to  overthrow  the  Union,  and  after  four  years  of 
devastating  war,  in  which  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  brave  men  “hasted  to  duty  and  halted 
in  death/’  peace  was  restored  “with  many  a 
sweet  babe  fatherless  and  many  a widow  mourn- 
ing.” The  Union  was  saved,  slavery  was  abol- 
ished, the  doctrine  of  secession  crushed,  never 
to  rise  again. 

The  date  of  Lee’s  surrender  is  April  9,  1865. 
The  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  in- 
corporating the  Church  Extension  Society  (the 
name  afterwards  being  changed  to  The  Board  of 
Church  Extension)  bears  date  March  13,  1865; 
that  is,  the  Church  Extension  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  became  a legal  cor- 
poration twenty-seven  days  before  the  Confeder- 
acy laid  down  its  arms.  Providence  was  prepar- 
ing for  that  “Aggressive  Evangelism”  which 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

would  plant  Methodist  Episcopal  churches  in 
every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union. 

The  Board  of  Church  Extension  has  aided  in 
the  erection  of  about  15,000  church  buildings. 

This  is  a wonderful  record.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  about  30,000  church  build- 
ings, and  the  Board  of  Church  Extension  up  to 
January  1,  1907,  in  a period  of  forty-three  years, 
aided  in  building  half  of  the  entire  number.  The 
names  of  A.  J.  Kynett,  C.  C.  McCabe,  W.  A. 
Spencer,  Manly  S.  Hard  and  J.  M.  King  will 
be  forever  identified  with  the  growth  and  glory 
of  Church  Extension  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  by  all  our  people 
that  the  work  of  Church  Extension  is  continued 
without  interruption.  A change  has  taken  place 
in  the  name  of  the  corporation.  It  is  no  longer 
“The  Board  of  Church  Extension, ” but  is  now 
“The  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Ex- 
tension, ” the  work  of  Church  Extension  being 
continued  uninterruptedly,  but  as  a department 
of  the  Board  having  larger  powers. 

According  to  the  act  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1904  a commission,  provided  for  by  that 
body,  reorganized  the  benevolent  boards  and 
societies  of  the  Church.  All  Home  Mission  inter- 
ests were  transferred  from  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety to  “The  Board  of  Home  Missions  and 
Church  Extension”  on  January  1,  1907. 

The  tremendous  influx  of  foreigners  arrested 
the  attention  of  the  Church  and  led  to  the  re- 
organization. If  we  were  not  reaching  the  maxi- 
mum of  oiir  possibilities  in  sending  the  Gospel 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


to  distant  lands,  Providence  came  to  our  aid 
by  sending  the  uncounted  millions  from  distant 
lands  to  the  United  States.  Our  Government 
with  all  its  faults  is  the  best  on  God’s  earth. 
Our  land  is  a refuge  for  the  distressed  people 
of  other  lands,  and  in  the  order  of  God’s  Provi- 
dence they  are  coming.  We  should  not  prevent 
their  coming.  We  should  rise  equal  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  occasion,  and  give  them  a cordial 
welcome.  We  are  to  throw  around  them  the 
protecting  folds  of  our  flag,  and  recognize  their 
rights  while  we  steadily  maintain  our  own.  We 
welcome  people  from  every  clime  under  the  shin- 
ing stars,  not  to  build  up  a separate  nationality, 
but  to  become  Americans. 

The  Church,  the  public  school,  the  secular  and 
religious  press,  and  all  the  agencies  of  our  splen- 
did Christian  civilization  must  be  employed  to 
Americanize  and  Christianize  these  immigrants ; 
and  the  best  work  for  Foreign  Missions  will  be 
done  through  The  Board  of  Home  Missions  and 
Church  Extension  if  we  prove  ourselves  equal  to 
our  magnificent  opportunity. 

To  save  the  Italians  in  America  is  the  best 
possible  work  that  can  be  done  for  Italy;  to 
evangelize  the  Afro-American  means  in  due  time 
the  evangelization  of  Africa.  We  need  not  go 
to  Jerusalem  to  evangelize  the  Jews:  they  are 
here.  The  same  is  true  of  all  nationalities. 

God  has  been  wondrous  kind  in  sending  the 
people  from  other  lands  to  these  shores.  We  thus 
reach  the  question  at  short  range.  “America 
for  Christ”  means  very  soon,  the  “Nations  of 
the  world  for  Christ.  ’ ’ Evangelize  America,  and 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

the  problem  of  the  world’s  evangelization  will 
speedily  be  solved. 

The  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Ex- 
tension carries  on  simultaneously  two  lines  of 
work:  The  Church  Extension  Department  aids 

in  the  erection  of  churches  and  parsonages  by 
either  Loan  or  Donation,  or  both.  The  Home  Mis- 
sion Department  aids  in  the  support  of  minis- 
ters. Pour  thousand  such  ministers  are  now 
being  supported  in  whole  or  in  part  by  this 
Board. 

Every  foot  of  land  under  the  flag  is  included 
in  some  Annual  Conference  and  there  is  no  rea- 
son why  either  city  or  country  should  be  neg- 
lected. Our  Bishops  have  episcopal  supervision 
in  every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union  and 
our  insular  possessions.  We  need  a revival  of 
the  old  circuit  system  of  our  fathers  to  properly 
care  for  the  country  places  and  smaller  villages, 
and  we  need  immense  contributions  of  money 
that  we  may  secure  real  estate  and  erect  suit- 
able buildings  for  aggressive  movements  in  every 
great  city  in  the  Union.  Our  chief  hope  is  in 
the  education  of  our  people  on  Home  Mission 
and  Church  Extension  lines,  and  our  reliance, 
in  order  to  secure  this,  is  on  the  intelligence,  en- 
thusiasm and  hearty  co-operation  of  the  pastors. 

We  recognize  the  great  importance  of  that 
magnificent  Society  in  our  Church  known  as  the 
Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society.  Their  cour- 
ageous call  for  half  a million  of  dollars  this  year, 
the  call  of  our  own  Board  for  one  million  dollars  * 
and  a quarter  of  a million  extra  for  California, 
making  a total  of  $1,750,000,  is  only  a hint  or 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

suggestion  as  to  what  the  Church  will  give  in 
some  blessed  year  of  our  Lord  before  very  long, 
when  missionary  intelligence  shall  be  more  fully 
diffused  and  the  needs  of  our  great  cities  and 
country  places  are  laid  upon  the  hearts  of  our 
entire  membership. 

We  began  on  this  continent  in  1766  without  a 
foot  of  ground  or  a building  or  an  organization 
of  any  kind.  This  year  (1907)  shows  that  we 
have  more  than  three  millions  of  members,  more 
than  three  millions  of  Sunday-school  scholars, 
that  our  church  buildings  are  worth  more  than 
$150,000,000,  and  parsonages  worth  nearly 
$26,000,000.  This  is  a remarkable  showing.  We 
have  a right  to  “ Thank  God  and  take  courage.  ” 
The  Nation  is  young.  The  Church  is  young.  It 
is  yet  possible  to  undo  to  a considerable  extent 
the  mistakes  of  the  past.  Where  church  prop- 
erty has  been  sold  in  the  great  cities,  and  we 
have  seen  that  property  in  many  cases  advanced 
to  twice  the  amount  for  which  it  was  sold,  we 
must  rise  equal  to  the  demands  of  the  hour  and, 
regardless  of  the  cost,  buy  such  property  as  is 
needed  and  erect  suitable  buildings  in  the  great 
centers  of  population  and  establish  ourselves, 
with  the  understanding  that  we  shall  remain 
there  and  continue  the  work  of  evangelism 
among  native-born  and  foreign-born  people  no 
matter  what  expense  may  be  involved  or  how 
difficult  the  work  is  that  is  to  be  performed. 

The  splendid  organization  referred  to  above, 
namely,  the  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society, 
and  this  great  organization,  The  Board  of  Home 
Missions  and  Church  Extension,  must  become 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


closely  affiliated  and  in  mutual  helpfulness  enter 
every  open  door  and  carry  on  the  work  that  the 
Master  left  unfinished  and  committed  to  the  care 
of  His  Church. 

We  must  not  neglect  the  city,  as  the  city  is 
now  the  frontier.  We  must  not  neglect  the  coun- 
try, as  the  country  is  supplying  in  large  measure 
strength  to  city  churches  and  is  important  for 
its  own  sake.  “America  for  Christ”  must  be 
shouted  from  shore  to  shore  until  a holy  enthu- 
siasm shall  be  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  all  our 
ministers  and  people,  until  this  glorious  land, 
the  land  we  love  the  best,  shall  be  laid  in  sub- 
jection at  the  Saviour's  feet.  We  must  prove 
ourselves  worthy  sons  of  illustrious  sires  in 
State  and  Church,  and  our  blessed  American, 
Christian  civilization  must  be  maintained  and 
its  influence  extended  “to  earth's  remotest 
bounds.” 

“He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call 
retreat ; 

He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judg- 
ment seat ; 

Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him!  be  jubilant,  my 
feet ! 

Our  God  is  marching  on. 

1 1 In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across  the 
sea, 

With  a glory  in  His  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me; 

As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men 
free, 

While  God  is  marching  on.” 


OUR  WORK  AMONG  NEGROES 
IN  THE  SOUTH 


BY  DR.  ROBERT  E.  JONES,  EDITOR  ‘ ‘ SOUTHWESTERN 
CHRISTIAN  ADVOCATE  ” 


At  the  entrance  of  the  negro  building  of  the 
Atlanta  (Georgia)  Exposition,  held  in  1895, 
stood  a statue,  by  a negro  artist,  representing 
a negro  form  of  strong  muscles  with  a rather 
questioning  look  upon  his  face,  with  shackles 
upon  his  wrists,  broken  but  not  off.  The  shackles 
of  slavery  are  broken,  but  much  of  the  ef- 
fects of  slavery  remain.  Ignorance  and  pov- 
erty prevail,  and  poverty  largely  because  of 
ignorance.  So  long  as  there  are  ten  millions  of 
negro  people  in  this  country  who  are  in  an  un- 
developed state  as  to  religion,  morals  and  edu- 
cation and  economics,  no  Church  that  seeks  to 
fulfill  the  command  of  the  Christ  to  disciple  all 
nations  can  justify  itself  if  it  neglects  to  face 
this,  America’s  most  difficult  and  far-reaching 
problem.  It  is  our  richest  field  for  missionary 
effort;  largest  in  point  of  numbers,  the  most 
vital  as  it  concerns  the  life  of  the  Republic.  The 
whole  question  of  the  redemption  of  the  negro, 
whether  in  the  Church  or  State,  practically  re- 
solves itself  into  a question  of  missions.  And 
this  is  one  phase  of  our  Home  Mission  work,  in 
one  step  of  which  the  Nation  spent  billions  of 
treasure  and  a million  of  lives. 


Our  Work  Among  Negroes  in  the  South 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  entered  the 
field  in  the  South  December  25,  1865,  with  the 
organization  of  the  Mississippi  Mission  Confer- 
ence. With  what?  Practically  nothing.  There 
were  a dozen  or  more  colored  men ; poor  and  un- 
learned. Bishop  Thompson  was  presiding  and 
the  question  was  asked,  “Who  will  you  have 
for  secretary  ?”  one  of  the  colored  brethren  re- 
plied, “Bishop,  one  of  them  white  men  will  have 
to  act  as  secretary,  for  none  of  us  can.”  No, 
there  was  not  a man  among  them  who  could 
write;  and  this  was  also  true  a year  later  in 
the  organization  of  the  Texas  Mission  Confer- 
ence. We  had  then  only  a few  inexperienced 
preachers,  with  the  smell  of  slavery  upon  them; 
inexperienced  in  the  management  of  a church 
and  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  They  were 
willing,  and  that  is  all.  Pew  in  number.  What 
have  we  today?  Twenty  conferences  and  one 
mission.  These  twenty  conferences  had  92 
votes  in  the  last  General  Conference  which  met 
in  California;  an  annual  conference  member- 
ship, including  those  on  trial,  of  2,003,  with 
4,178  local  preachers,  with  291,395  full  members 
and  probationers,  making  a total  membership 
of  297,566.  This  does  not  include  the  member- 
ship of  the  great  St.  Mark’s  Church  in  New 
York,  nor  our  colored  work  in  California.  With 
these  added,  we  have  without  a question,  a mem- 
bership of  300,000.  This  is  25,000  more  than  the 
total  membership  in  the  foreign  conferences  and 
missions.  In  the  organized  territory,  which 
covered  the  Mississippi  Conference  organized 
December  25,  1865,  which  included  the  States  of 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


Louisiana,  Mississippi  and  Texas,  we  have  today 
six  annual  conferences  with  35  Presiding  Elders, 
700  pastors  and  nearly  100,000  lay  members. 
This  is  the  territory  which  was  organized  into  a 
mission  conference  in  1865  with  not  a colored 
man  that  could  write.  But  this  same  territory 
has  produced  M.  O.  B.  Mason,  corresponding 
secretary  Board  of  Education,  Freedmen’s  Aid 
and  Sunday  Schools;  John  W.  E.  Bowen,  presi- 
dent Gammon  Theological  Seminary ; G.  G. 
Logan,  missionary  secretary;  J.  M.  Cox,  J.  B.  F. 
Shaw,  M.  W.  Dogan,  college  presidents;  A.  P. 
Camphor,  J.  H.  Reid,  J.  C.  Sherrill,  mission- 
aries to  Africa.  Every  one  of  these  men  named 
are  graduates  from  reputable  colleges,  and  in 
every  case  but  one  post-graduate  courses  have 
been  pursued.  What  hath  God  wrought? 

But  further,  in  this  membership  developed 
within  forty-two  years  we  have  3,762  Sunday 
schools  with  23,609  officers  and  teachers,  188,194 
scholars.  As  to  church  property  there  are 
3,538  churches,  valued  at  $5,072,602,  being  an 
average  valuation  of  $1,432.74.  Of  the  2,003 
preachers,  1,157  occupy  parsonages  with  a total 
valuation  of  $672,244,  making  the  parsonages 
worth  on  an  average  of  $581.02. 

But  our  work  in  the  South  has  not  been  con- 
fined to  the  membership  within  our  fold.  The 
work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  per- 
haps more  than  any  other  church,  has  been  to 
lift  the  ocean  level  of  the  entire  race.  Being  a 
Church  of  high  ideals,  we  have  stood  as  an  ex- 
ample for  all  the  negro  churches  in  the  South 
in  morals  as  well  as  religion.  It  is  not  becoming 


Our  Work  Among  Negroes  in  the  South 

for  us  to  sound  our  own  praises  on  this  particu- 
lar point  and  hence  I call  to  my  rescue  in  this 
embarrassment  a competent  witness.  At  the 
General  Conference  held  in  1900  at  Chicago,  the 
fraternal  delegate  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  to  our  Church,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
E.  E.  Hoss,  then  editor  of  the  Nashville  Chris- 
tian Advocate  (since  elected  a Bishop  of  that 
Church),  in  referring  to  the  work  of  our  Church 
in  the  South  among  the  colored  people,  said : 
“The  time  has  come  wdien  there  ought  to  be 
the  fullest  and  most  cordial  and  most  generous 
recognition  of  the  superior  quality  of  the  work 
which  you  have  done  among  the  colored  people 
in  the  Southern  States  since  the  war.  As  a mat- 
ter of  course,  in  an  undertaking  so  vast  as  that, 
there  have  been  some  men  not  altogether  wise, 
for  I doubt  not  that  even  in  your  Church  there 
are  some  men  who  lack  something  of  perfect 
wisdom.  Certainly  the  conditions  are  very  ex- 
ceptional, if  that  is  not  true.  But  while  that  is 
true,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  in  your  schools 
and  colleges,  your  literary  and  theological  and 
medical  and  other  institutions,  you  have  done 
a work  for  the  colored  people  the  value  of  which 
eternity  alone  will  reveal.  And  such  men  as 
Braden  and  Wilbur  Thirkield  and  their  asso- 
ciates and  companions  are  fit  to  have  their 
names  written  alongside  William  Capers,  on 
whose  monument  in  the  cemetery  of  Columbia, 
S.  C.,  is  this  simple  inscription:  'William 

Capers,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  Pounder  of  Missions  to  Slaves.’ 
Under  hard  conditions,  under  adverse  circum- 

Sig.  2 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


stances,  they  have  labored  faithfully,  ofttimes 
without  due  appreciation,  ofttimes  in  the  face 
of  stern  criticism,  severe  and  censorious  com- 
ment and  remark — but  I speak  out  of  my  heart, 
without  any  reserve  or  any  qualification  at  all, 
when  I say  that  I pray  the  time  may  never  come 
when  you  shall  lose  your  grasp  upon  the  col- 
ored people.  For  it  is  only  the  truth  to  add  that, 
take  them  man  for  man  and  conference  for  con- 
ference, the  colored  Methodists  in  the  South,  who 
have  had  the  advantage  of  your  supervision  and 
your  training,  are  far  in  advance  of  any  other 
colored  people  in  that  section.” 

This  would  appear  to  be  a reason  that  would 
convince  the  most  skeptical  of  the  sort  of  work 
that  we  are  doing.  May  we  add  here  that  it 
would  be  a serious  blunder,  if  not  for  the 
Church  then  most  certainly  for  the  negro,  if  at 
any  time  this  membership  which  has  cost  the 
Church  so  many  dollars,  heartaches  and  tears, 
is  set  aside.  Much  rather  let  the  Church  address 
itself  to  the  task  with  renewed  effort. 

Much  has  been  said  as  to  self-support;  for 
the  Church  has  put  thousands  of  dollars  into 
this  work.  The  amount  appropriated  by  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions  for  these  twenty  col- 
ored conferences  amounts  to  something  like 
$45,000.  In  1902  these  conferences  put  back 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Missionary  Society 
$20,354.  The  report  for  the  year  ending 
October  31,  1906,  showed  that  these  same  confer- 
ences contributed  something  over  $30,000,  mak- 
ing a total  yearly  advance  in  collections  within 
three  years  of  over  $10,000.  Deducting  the 


Our  Work  Among  Negroes  in  the  South 


amount  contributed  from  the  amount  received, 
leaves  the  Church  to  contribute  for  this  colored 
work  about  $15,000.  To  say  the  least  this  is 
not  a large  sum  for  a great  Church  to  contribute 
for  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  ten  millions  of 
people.  A study  of  the  figures  show  that  the 
Delaware  Conference  contributed  more  than 
twice  the  amount  received.  The  Washington 
Conference  maintains  about  the  same  ratio, 
while  the  South  Carolina  Conference  contributes 
about  three  times  the  amount  it  receives.  That 
is  to  say,  the  Delaware,  the  Washington,  the 
South  Carolina  and  the  Atlanta  Conferences 
have  reached  the  point  of  self-support,  for  they 
now  put  more  into  the  treasury  of  the  Missionary 
Society  than  they  receive.  But  what  is  still 
more  remarkable,  notwithstanding  the  South 
Carolina  Conference  contributes  practically 
$4,000  more  than  it  receives  from  the  Missionary 
Society,  it  at  the  same  time  contributes  about 
$8,000  per  year  for  the  cause  of  education,  and 
in  this  collection  it  leads  all  the  conferences  of 
Methodism. 

Two  specific  examples  of  growth : In  1864  the 
Washington  Conference  had  two  districts  with 
6,000  members  and  22  appointments  and  21 
ministers.  In  1906  this  same  conference  had 
157  itinerant  ministers,  31,000  lay  members,  328 
schools,  valued  at  $116,070.  Dr.  W.  F.  Steele 
brought  out  in  an  article  which  appeared  in 
The  Christian  Republic  for  September,  the 
following  facts : The  North  Carolina  Conference 
had  increased  in  ten  years  from  7,000  to  12,000 
members  (and  the  latter  figures  quoted  in  this 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


connection  are  from  the  Year  Book  for  1907). 
This  conference  had  then  29  ministers  and  today 
there  are  82,  19  of  whom  are  from  Gammon 
Theological  Seminary.  This  conference  con- 
tributed then  for  ministerial  support  an  average 
of  $130  for  each  preacher  and  now  $310.  It 
gave  twenty-five  years  ago  $160  for  all  benevo- 
lent purposes.  Last  year  it  contributed  $2,566. 
A quarter  of  a century  ago  the  North  Carolina 
Conference  had  87  churches  worth  $4,100,  or 
less  than  $500  each,  today  there  are  166  churches 
worth  $167,835,  or  more  than  $1,000  each ; while 
the  parsonages  have  increased  from  7 to  38  and 
from  an  average  valuation  of  $100  to  $500. 
What  is  true  of  these  two  conferences  is  true  in 
other  instances. 

Notable  examples  of  our  people  in  securing 
church  homes  are  the  purchase  of  Union  Memo- 
rial in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  from  a Jewish  congrega- 
tion for  the  consideration  of  $41,000;  and  the 
building  of  Sharp  Street  Memorial,  Baltimore, 
Md.,  the  walls  being  of  granite,  at  a cost  of 
$75,000,  not  one  cent  of  which  came  from  the 
Board  of  Church  Extension.  There  are  two 
churches  being  erected  in  North  Carolina,  one 
at  Greensboro  and  the  other  at  Winston,  each 
of  which  will  cost  more  than  $15,000,  and  both 
of  which  are  nearing  completion  without  one 
penny  of  outside  help.  There  has  been  a steady 
and  gratifying  growth  toward  self-support. 

I am  just  home  from  a visit  to  the  Texas  Con- 
ference. Within  the  last  ten  years,  aside  from 
increasing  all  its  benevolent  collections,  this  con- 
ference, with  the  assistance  of  a few  thousand 


Our  Work  Among  Negroes  in  the  South 

dollars,  has  constructed  a main  building  at 
Wiley  University  at  a cost  of  $30,000  and  has 
built  outright  a trades  building  costing  $3,000, 
a hospital  costing  $1,500,  a president’s  cottage 
costing  $4,000,  besides  making  improvements 
and  remodeling  other  buildings.  Nerved  by 
what  has  been  accomplished,  this  conference  sets 
out  this  year  to  erect  a boys’  dormitory  to  cost 
$30,000,  and  of  this  amount,  at  the  recent  Dis- 
trict Conferences  visited  by  me,  the  people  pres- 
ent placed  in  hard  cash  on  the  collection  tables 
$3,200  toward  this  boys’  dormitory. 

Let  us  take  other  examples  of  approach  to  self- 
support:  September  8,  1900,  Trinity  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Houston,  Texas,  was  laid  in 
ruins  by  a storm,  made  memorable  by  the  de- 
struction of  Galveston.  The  following  December 
the  Rev.  W.  H.  Logan,  D.D.,  was  appointed  to 
this  charge  and  set  about  at  once  to  erect  a 
structure  costing  $16,000.  The  Board  of  Church 
Extension  came  to  the  relief  of  this  congrega- 
tion, donating  $2,000,  and  lending  $3,000  more. 
Within  seven  years  all  the  indebtedness  incurred 
by  the  erection  of  the  church  has  been  paid,  in- 
cluding the  $3,000  due  the  Board  of  Church  Ex- 
tension; the  pastor’s  salary  increased  from  $600 
to  $1,500.  This  congregation  will  contribute  this 
year  to  the  benevolent  causes  of  the  Church 
more  than  $600— $125  to  the  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  and  $125  to  the  Home  Missionary 
Society. 

But  these  conferences  make  a showing  when 
figures  that  concern  property  valuation  are 
studied,  that  is  startling,  and  it  is  said  that 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


figures  do  not  lie.  We  stated  above,  and  the 
figures  came  from  the  Year  Book,  that  these  con- 
ferences had  a parsonage  valuation  of  $672,244 
and  a church  property  valuation  of  $5,072,602, 
making  a total  value  of  $5,744,846.  Up  to  and 
including  the  year  ending  October  31,  1905,  the 
Board  of  Church  Extension  had  contributed  in 
donations  outright  to  the  erection  of  this  prop- 
erty $402,514.48.  The  Board  of  Church  Exten- 
sion had  also  made  loans  to  the  amount  of  $245,- 
242.27,  making  a total  investment  in  property 
in  these  twenty  negro  conferences  of  $647,756.75. 
But  these  conferences  paid  back  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  Board  of  Church  Extension  during 
these  years  in  conference  collections,  $94,858.34. 
Now,  taking  it  for  granted  that  none  of  the 
Church  loans  were  ever  paid  (while  some  of 
them  have  been  long  standing,  some  have  been 
paid),  deducting  the  amount  contributed  in  the 
collections  from  the  gross  amount  invested  by 
the  Board  of  Church  Extension  would  give  the 
Board  a net  investment  of  $552,898.41  in  the 
property  among  colored  people.  This  amount 
deducted  from  the  gross  valuation  of  parsonages 
and  church  property  would  leave  these  negro 
conferences  to  have  contributed  to  the  Church 
in  property,  all  the  titles  of  which  are  vested  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  the  amount 
of  $5,191,947.21.  This  is  no  mean  showing. 
But  still  further:  For  the  year  ending  Octo- 

ber 31,  1906,  the  total  collections  of  the  Freed- 
men’s  Aid  Society  amounted  to  $111,902.44, 
which  was  an  increase  over  the  previous  year  of 
$6,294.45.  But  of  this  net  increase,  $4,792  came 


Oar  Work  Among  Negroes  in  the  South 

from  the  colored  conferences.  The  aggregate 
collections  of  these  conferences  last  year  toward 
the  Freedmen’s  Aid  was  $30,452.86.  These  fig- 
ures may  be  tedious,  but  they  tell  the  story  and 
they  are  satisfactory  to  the  most  skeptical  that 
work  among  the  negroes  pays. 

But  this  Home  Mission  work  has  been  the  best 
sort  of  Foreign  Mission  work.  According  to  the 
Directory  of  Foreign  Missionaries  sent  out  by 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  recently,  the 
Liberia  Annual  Conference  has  eighteen  young 
men  and  women,  direct  from  this  territory,  con- 
verted and  educated  through  the  missionary 
effort  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
South.  These  men  and  women,  led  on  by  Bish- 
ops Hartzell  and  Scott,  are  on  the  firing  line  in 
Africa,  paying  back  in  a small  measure  and 
certainly  in  spirit  what  the  Church  has  done  in 
the  development  of  our  missions  in  the  South. 

The  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  is  this: 
The  vexatious  race  question  is  to  be  solved  only 
along  the  lines  laid  down  by  Jesus  Christ.  The 
Church  is  to  be  the  mighty  and  invincible  and 
indispensable  factor,  and  we  cannot  withdraw 
or  relax  our  effort  without  proving  ourselves 
faithless  to  the  command  of  the  Master. 


PIEGAN  INDIAN  MISSION 


AN  EXAMPLE  OP  WHAT  IS  BEING  DONE 


BY  F.  A.  RIGGIN,  SUPERINTENDENT 


SUMMARY 

Reservation  defined.— Government  wardship  explained.— 
Blackfeet  Reservation  described.— Effect  of  Buffalo  extermina- 
tion. — Indians  at  work.  — Becoming  citizens.  — Methodism 
among  them. — The  work  of  the  Government  beneficent. — Re- 
ligion and  self-government.— Indian  children.— Homes  and 
burials.— An  Indian  chief.— Temperance  appeal.— Allotment  of 
lands.— Work  to  be  done  by  the  Methodist  Mission. 

Note.— There  are  about  250,000  Indians  in  the  United  States. 
Our  Church  began  work  among  them  in  1814.  We  now  minister 
to  them  in  35  Indian  missions,  in  which  we  reach  about  12,700 
Indians.  We  have  a membership  of  about  2,000.  The  value  of 
Church  property  is  $47,425.  We  appropriated  last  year  for  this 
work  $10,324.  The  chapter  on  the  Piegan  Indians  is  given  as  one 
sample  of  Indian  mission  work. 

Our  mission  embraces  the  Blackfeet  Indian 
Reservation.  A reservation  is  a tract  of  land 
set  apart  by  the  United  States  Government  for 
its  own  uses  and  control,  for  military  and  other 
purposes. 

The  development  of  the  Indian  requires  such 
a location,  for  they  are  4 ‘ wards  of  the  Govern- 
ment” and  cannot,  in  their  primitive  condition, 
well  be  under  the  direction  of  the  United  States. 
They  require  such  regulation  as  is  administered 
by  Congress  and  directed  by  the  President  and 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


Piegan  Indian  Mission 


Their  relation  to  the  Government  is  a very 
intimate  one,  on  the  order  of  international  lines, 
and  though  they  are  wards,  their  rights  exist 
by  treaties.  These  treaties  have  resulted  from 
their  subjugation  in  Indian  wars. 

Every  student  of  American  history  knows 
what  a terrible  time  we  have  had  with  Indians 
from  the  earliest  settlement  of  our  country  down 
to  the  present. 

When  the  warlike  spirit  has  been  aroused  by 
the  encroachment  of  civilization  upon  their  do- 
main, conflicts  have  resulted  and  they  have  been 
driven  along  bloody  trails  until  they  have  been 
“corralled”  in  reservations  in  different  places, 
widely  separated.  Treaties  have  been  made,  and 
their  development  and  civilization  undertaken  by 
the  Government. 

This  has  been  wisely  planned.  There  are 
250,000  Indians  remaining  of  the  various  tribes. 
They  could  not  be  controlled  in  one  body.  The 
different  tribes  have  been  as  antagonistic  toward 
each  other  as  to  the  white  people.  Thus  each 
nation,  or  allied  tribes,  have  separate  reserva- 
tions and  different  treaties,  but  all  tending  to 
the  same  end,  viz.,  their  Christian  civilization. 

The  Blackfeet  Reservation  is  in  northern 
Montana.  It  lies  at  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. It  extends  fifty  miles  along  the  interna- 
tional boundary  between  Canada  and  the  United 
States,  and  sixty  miles  south.  It  formerly 
reached  to  the  main  divide  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. On  this  main  divide  is  located  the  ‘ ‘ Crown 
of  the  Continent,”  a water  shed  where  water 
runs  to  the  three  oceans.  The  head  waters  of  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

north  forks  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Columbia, 
and  the  south  forks  of  the  St.  Mary’s  River  rise 
here.  What  a coincidence!  The  children  of 
ancestors  whose  domain  originally  extended  over 
the  whole  continent  are  now  located  at  least  in 
sight  of  its  crown,  astride  the  three  slopes  run- 
ning to  the  Atlantic,  the  Pacific  and  the  Arctic 
Oceans. 

This  Rocky  Mountain  region  is  among  the 
most  picturesque  of  the  world’s  scenery.  Great 
glaciers  and  cascades,  waterfalls  and  canyons, 
snow-capped  peaks  and  beautiful  slopes  extend 
beyond  human  vision  and  baffle  description.  The 
summers  are  most  delightful  and  transcend  even 
a California  winter.  “ Incubator  Basin”  is  also 
located  here,  and  such  a winter  as  dropped  upon 
us  last!  No  Arctic  explorer  will  ever  reach  the 
North  Pole  if  the  climate  up  there  is  anything 
like  it.  With  nearly  all  of  the  passenger  trains  on 
the  Great  Northern  system  snow-bound  and  their 
rotaries  lying  helpless  by  their  sides,  cyclones 
of  snow  and  gravel  piling  up  in  impenetrable 
drifts,  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  exist,  and 
yet  the  Piegans  have  so  learned  the  art  of  living 
that  they  emerge  from  their  crude  surroundings 
eager  for  their  summer ’s  work. 

It  is  work  now.  Formerly  the  Indian  did  not 
work,  at  least  in  our  way.  He  could  go  out  and 
shoot  buffalo.  The  Indian  women  would  “rus- 
tle” the  wood  and  the  water,  but  the  men  were 
on  the  hunt,  and  what  a feast!  No  one  knows 
the  best  cuts  of  beef  better  than  an  Indian.  No 
one  can  get  more  out  of  an  animal.  They  eat  all 
that  is  eatable,  both  outside  and  inside.  They 


Piegan  Indian  Mission 


tan  the  hides  and  use  them  for  robes  and  mocca- 
sins (shoes)  and  for  other  purposes.  They  made 
tepees  and  got  food,  clothing  and  shelter  from 
a buffalo.  They  did  not  have  to  work,  but  could 
get  along  without  it.  But  when  General  Miles 
and  other  Indian  fighters  exterminated  the 
buffalo,  their  means  of  existence  was  gone. 

For  a long  time  after  their  subjugation  the 
Government  fed  and  clothed  them,  and  in  the 
civilizing  process  the  best  ingredient  has  been 
work.  They  have  been  taught  the  necessity  of 
work  and  they  do  it.  In  a very  short  time  the 
Piegans  will  be  a tribe  of  workers.  The  reserva- 
tion is  now  to  be  thrown  open  to  settlement. 
The  surveyors  are  already  in  the  field.  The  In- 
dians are  to  become  citizens  and  not  wards.  The 
last  process  of  eliminating  the  Indian  ward  has 
begun  and  soon  they  will  be  at  work  on  irriga- 
tion canals,  in  the  fields  and  in  the  mountains. 
By  intermarriage  the  red  man  is  to  become  a 
white  man— a community  of  artisans  and  farm- 
ers and  stock  men.  Indian  history  is  to  become 
past  history.  Much  has  been  accomplished. 
Much  remains  to  be  done.  But  some  time  the 
last  chapter  will  be  written.  Some  will  linger 
a time  with  us,  but  the  greater  number  will  be 
absorbed  into  citizenship. 

Methodism  has  been  associated  with  the  Gov- 
ernment in  the  development  of  the  Piegans  from 
an  early  period.  Under  General  Grant’s  peace 
policy  this  reservation  was  assigned  to  our 
Church.  Its  agents  and  employees  at  times 
have  been  members  of  our  Church;  others  have 
come  from  Methodist  homes ; we  have  had  Metho- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

dist  preachers  among  them  at  times  since  1872. 
Brother  Yan  Orsdel  visited  them  at  that  time. 
The  writer,  then  a young  Presiding  Elder,  with 
Rev.  Clark  Wright,  of  Helena,  now  of  New  York, 
made  an  overland  trip  of  several  hundred  miles 
to  visit  them  in  187 6.  Their  children,  now  grown 
to  manhood  and  womanhood,  have  been  educated 
under  the  direction  of  such  men.  Brother  Dun- 
can in  the  earlier  days  and  later  Rev.  W.  IT. 
Matson — his  widow  still  remaining  in  the  ser- 
vice— have  instructed  the  younger  generation. 

The  beneficent  spirit  of  our  Government  can 
be  seen  nowhere  better  than  in  its  control  of  the 
Indian.  Agents  are  appointed  to  personally 
supervise  and  direct,  even  in  minutest  affairs, 
and  the  employees  of  all  kinds  are  under  civil 
service  regulation.  The  different  trades  are  rep- 
resented and  a complete  system  of  education  is 
carried  on.  Children  of  all  ages  are  taken  from 
the  tepees  and  as  much  as  possible  of  the  Indian 
life  is  trained  out  of  them  and  as  much  as  possible 
of  our  life  is  developed  within  them.  They  have 
excellent  industrial  training.  They  are  taught 
domestic  science  in  all  its  branches.  Cleanliness 
is  impressed  upon  them.  The  Industrial  Train- 
ing School  is  a model  of  neatness. 

They  are  taught  at  the  schools  and  missions  of 
the  churches  the  various  phases  of  agriculture. 
By  precept  and  example  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity are  inculcated.  All  the  advantages  of  the 
ideal  home,  industry,  economy,  thrift  and  the 
elements  of  the  well-rounded  character  are  kept 
constantly  before  them. 

The  agent  is  father,  governor,  judge.  Em- 


Piegan  Indian  Mission 


ployees  and  citizens  whose  duties  bring  them  to 
the  reservation,  as  well  as  the  Indians,  are  under 
his  direction.  Physicians  are  employed  to  give 
medical  attention,  and  though  the  treatment 
of  the  “old  medicine  man”  is  by  no  means 
among  the  lost  arts,  for  his  incantations  and 
drum  beats  are  still  in  demand,  yet  even  these 
medicine  men  often  find  the  remedies,  skill  and 
advice  of  our  doctors  vastly  superior  to  their 
methods. 

The  development  of  Christian  character  is 
necessarily  of  slow  growth.  They  have  a relig- 
ion of  their  own— a sort  of  sun  worship.  The 
beauty  and  beneficence  of  the  influence  of  the 
sun  impress  them,  and  they  have  a belief  in 
spirits,  good  and  evil.  They  have  a crude  code 
of  moral  conduct.  Their  native  government  is 
patriarchal.  Under  the  Government  they  are 
taught  self-government.  They  have  an  Indian 
court,  and  some  of  their  discussions  are  models 
of  judgment.  The  Indian  police  are  often  heroic 
in  the  performance  of  their  duty.  They  are 
superstitious.  When  death  overtakes  a loved 
one  they  often  abandon  their  homes  and  select 
new  ones. 

The  best  results  of  missionary  labor  are  among 
the  children,  both  within  and  outside  the  reserva- 
tion. Nearly  all  the  children  are  required  to 
attend  school.  These  schools  exercise  a complete 
control.  The  missionary  is  greatly  loved  by  the 
pupils  and  most  cordially  treated  by  the  super- 
intendent and  teachers.  The  Sabbath  services 
are  hours  of  delight.  The  children  sing  as  well 
as  our  white  children  and  seem  to  retain  spiritual 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

truths  in  a remarkable  degree.  The  other  day  a 
very  bright  little  girl  went  to  one  of  the  teachers 
and  said:  “I  do  wish  everybody  in  the  world 
would  be  good  and  do  right  and  nobody  ever 
do  wrong,  then  all  would  go  to  heaven  and  live 
with  God  after  the  judgment.  Wouldn’t  the 
devil  then  be  lonesome  with  his  fireworks  all 
alone?”  Their  constant  inquiries  indicate  an 
anxious  mind  and  willing  heart.  The  bright, 
cheerful,  sweet  faces  of  a group  of  school  chil- 
dren are  a marked  contrast  to  the  old  squaws  and 
their  children.  Is  it  not  an  instructive  illustra- 
tion of  the  wisdom  and  beneficence  of  their  ward- 
ship by  the  Government  and  the  beauty  and  joy 
of  missionary  labor? 

We  frequently  meet  with  indications  of  the 
coming  harvest.  The  other  day  I went  into  a 
tepee  to  visit  an  Indian  family.  They  were  re- 
pairing a fence  around  a hay  meadow.  There 
was  another  family  visiting  them.  I found  them 
getting  ready  to  leave  for  Canada  to  visit  a sick 
brother,  a member  of  the  Canadian  branch  of 
the  tribe.  I asked  them  if  I should  pray  for 
them  and  their  sick  relative.  We  all  bowed  to- 
gether around  the  camp  fire  and  petitioned  the 
Father  for  his  mercy  and  grace.  Our  inter- 
preter was  one  of  the  school  children,  educated 
at  the  Willow  Creek  school  adjoining  our  mis- 
sion, an  attendant  upon  our  services  at  the  school 
and  church.  These  children  are  now  scattered 
all  over  the  reservation  and  carry  with  them  the 
precious  truths  we  teach  them. 

We  frequently  marry  them  according  to  our 
ritual  and  the  American  customs.  They  are 


I 


Piegan  Indian  Mission 

establishing  homes.  On  farms  adjoining  the 
mission  are  young  couples  married  by  me  several 
years  ago.  A few  Sabbaths  ago  I baptized  one 
of  their  children.  We  visit  them  socially.  Their 
homes  are  models  of  neatness. 

We  have  some  pathetic  scenes  in  our  little 
cemetery  where  we  bury  their  dead.  Their  grief 
is  ofter  heart-rending.  They  possess  all  the 
tenderness  and  affection  of  white  people.  They 
have  peculiar  ideas  of  the  future.  They  will  put 
a trunk  or  sack  with  clothing  and  bedding  in  the 
grave,  place  money  in  the  pockets  and  even  a 
tent  in  the  grave  for  the  journey  to  be  resumed 
beyond.  What  a precious  privilege  to  preach 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  Resurrection. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  tell  how  much  head- 
way truth  is  making  among  them.  The  most 
impressive  and  dramatic  address  on  temperance 
I ever  heard,  came  from  the  lips  of  White  Calf, 
the  old  chief.  He  said  in  substance:  “Before 
our  people  came  in  contact  with  the  white  people 
our  nation  was  strong  and  powerful.  They  were 
successful  on  the  hunt,  brave  in  battle  and  vic- 
torious in  war.  They  roamed  these  plains  and 
mountains  healthy  and  vigorous.  They  were 
erect,  could  w^alk  straight  and  steady,  looked  up 
and  not  down,  their  minds  were  clear,  they  could 
follow  a straight  line.  Now  all  is  changed.  They 
act  like  crazy  people,  they  can’t  run,  they  walk 
crookedly,  they  are  on  both  sides  of  a straight 
line  and  not  following  it,  excited  and  not  calm, 
weak,  helpless,  fight  one  another  and  are  de- 
stroying themselves.  Fire-water  (whiskey)  has 
done  the  mischief.  We  met  a man  on  the  prairie 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

with  barrels  of  it  a short  time  ago.  We  took 
the  barrels  and  broke  them  open  and  poured  out 
the  stuff.  Tell  the  father  at  Washington  to  keep 
his  people  from  selling  this  dangerous  drink  to 
our  people.  ’ ’ His  native  eloquence  and  gestures 
in  style  and  language  could  not  be  surpassed. 
That  address  was  endorsed  by  all  the  chiefs  then 
present  and  the  meeting  was  continued  nearly  all 
night.  This  happened  more  than  thirty  years 
ago  in  a council  which  we  had  with  them. 

Those  sentiments  Little  Plume  still  preaches  to 
his  people.  In  a service  last  fall  with  the  chil- 
dren at  the  school  held  by  Brother  Yan  Orsdel 
and  myself,  Little  Plume  told  them  “not  to  fol- 
low bad  people  but  to  imitate  the  good,  listen  to 
their  teachers,  love  to  go  to  school,  follow  the 
advice  of  the  missionaries,  study  the  best  life, 
learn  about  God  and  Christianity.  I am  on  my 
way  to  the  canal  where  our  people  are  at  work 
digging  a big  ditch,  to  tell  them  not  to  drink, 
gamble,  steal  or  lie.  I am  your  father  and  I 
talk  out  of  a father’s  heart.  I love  you.  How 
I love  to  hear  you  sing.” 

Elkhorn,  another  of  their  chief  men  accom- 
panying Little  Plume,  said:  “The  white  man  is 
so  superior  to  the  Indian,  I am  glad  you  are  here 
at  school  to  learn  to  do  things  like  they  do. 
The  white  man  grows ; he  is  like  the  tree,  a thing 
of  beauty ; the  Indian  is  like  the  rock,  an  immov- 
able something.  The  white  man  builds  fine 
houses,  warms  them  and  lights  them  and  they 
are  beautiful.  He  builds  railroads  and  runs 
cars  on  them,  he  dresses  well.  Plow  nicely  they 
all  look  around  you.  When  I hear  you  sing  it 


Piegan  Indian  Mission 


is  so  sweet  and  good.  Instead  of  being  an  old 
man  I wish  I were  a boy  five  years  old,  that  I 
might  have  the  chance  yon  have.  When  I was  a 
man  I was  taught  by  the  missionaries  to  pray 
and  be  glad.  You  hear  and  follow  the  teachings 
of  your  teachers  and  missionaries  and  it  will 
be  well  with  you.” 

On  that  very  trip  after  his  arrival  at  the  St. 
Mary’s  Canal  he  was  taken  with  pneumonia  and 
died.  The  old  Indians  are  rapidly  passing  away. 
The  life  of  not  one  but  all  of  the  tribes  is  to 
be  so  modified  in  a short  time  what  is  done 
for  them  must  be  done  very  speedily. 

I have  spoken  of  the  allotment  of  their  lands. 
Each  of  the  Indians  of  the  Blackfeet  Reservation 
is  to  receive  320  acres  of  land.  A man  and  wife 
will  have  a farm  of  640  acres.  Having  a family 
of  four  children  will  give  them  three  sections. 
Some  have  large  families.  What  an  endowment 
with  which  to  make  a living.  How  necessary 
for  them  to  know  the  value  of  land  and  what  it 
will  produce.  How  to  plow,  to  sow,  to  cultivate, 
to  maintain  a home,  to  transact  business,  above 
all  to  comprehend  the  principles  of  our  Christian 
religion. 

Our  mission  is  established  in  their  midst.  We 
are  touching  all  phases  of  their  life.  We  have  a 
church  building,  a parsonage  home,  a cemetery 
and  mission  premises.  The  Government  has 
provided  permanent  grounds  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  our  work.  We  have  won  some  trophies 
for  the  Master,  but  the  greater  harvest  is  to 
come. 


Sig.  3 


THE  ITALIAN  IN  AMERICA 


DR.  FREDERICK  H.  WRIGHT,  LATE  PRESIDING  ELDER 

IN  ITALY 


America  is  another  word  for  opportunity. 
The  oppressed  of  other  nations  conjure  with 
the  word,  until  the  fever  to  emigrate  to  the 
promised  land  of  milk  and  honey  is  so  high 
that  large  sections  of  the  old  country  are  being 
deserted,  and  this  year’s  record  will  beat  all 
previous  ones  in  the  number  who  have  landed 
on  our  shores.  Before  the  year  closes,  we  shall 
doubtless  have  reached  the  million  and  three- 
quarters  line.  Of  this  number  225,000  are  illit- 
erates over  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  Italian 
contingent  in  round  figures  will  number  over 
200,000,  and  the  vast  majority  of  these  are  illit- 
erates. 

To  the  average  mind  these  figures  are  simply 
appalling,  and  native-born  Americans  are  in- 
clined to  become  pessimistic.  A recent  writer  in 
a New  York  daily  calls  for  strong  measures,  de- 
cidedly suggestive  of  lynch  law,  to  suppress  the 
Italians,  and  calls  himself  a native  American. 
This  is  a cowardly  method  of  meeting  the  prob- 
lem, but  it  represents  the  attitude  of  quite  a 
number  of  Americans,  and  the  vast  majority  of 
our  citizenship  is  considerably  alarmed  over  the 
condition,  and  are  prone  to  view  the  invasion 
of  this  country  by  aliens,  particularly  by 


The  Italian  in  America 


Italians,  as  a dangerous  menace  to  our  time- 
honored  institutions.  But  as  long  as  we  re- 
member “the  pit  from  whence  we  were  digged, 
and  the  rock  from  whence  we  were  hewn,” 
we  will  face  the  subject  with  a stout  heart  and 
stop  questioning  the  motives  of  an  overruling 
Providence  who  is  sending  the  foreigners  to  our 
shores  from  every  race  and  all  climes,  in  order 
that  we  may  give  them  new  ideals  of  living, 
socially,  morally  and  religiously. 

On  the  other  hand  we  must  guard  ourselves 
from  a false  optimism,  as  in  a thoughtless  way 
we  dismiss  the  subject  with  the  conclusion  that 
our  powers  of  assimilation  are  great  enough  to 
take  in  the  whole  world.  A careless  attitude 
towards  this  question  will  reap  disaster,  and  all 
good  American  citizens  will  not  be  satisfied  with 
such  a summary  treatment  of  this  important 
matter. 

To  condemn  all  Southern  Europe  immigration 
as  undesirable  is  both  unjust  and  unreasonable. 
The  social  conditions,  it  is  true,  are  different  to 
ours,  the  mode  of  living  is  entirely  foreign  to  us 
and  the  religious  environment  is  so  opposed  to 
ours  as  to  make  the  effort  to  assimilate  a very 
difficult  one,  but  it  is  not  a hopeless  task.  Let 
us  see  what  the  characteristics  of  the  Italian 
immigrant  are,  and  then  we  shall  be  able  to 
decide  as  to  their  desirability. 

I.  The  Italian  is  Industrious. — Any  one 
familiar  with  the  Italian  will  not  be  long  in 
deciding  as  to  the  truth  of  this  statement.  There 
are  exceptions  to  every  rule,  but  Gladstone  has 
well  said  that  he  had  ceased  criticising  a nation 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


for  the  faults  of  individuals.  If  we  occasion- 
ally see  a lazy,  shirking  Italian,  we  should  not 
forget  that  there  are  just  as  occasionally,  lazy, 
shirking  Americans.  A visit  to  the  vine-clad 
hills  of  Italy  where  the  barren  rocks  have  been 
made  to  bloom,  will  convince  any  one  that  the 
Italians  are  industrious.  Yet  they  learn  to  beg 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave  in  their  own  land ; 
the  genius  of  their  religion  encourages  it,  but 
they  forget  to  beg  when  they  get  to  this  coun- 
try. It  is  a rare  thing  to  see  an  Italian  tramp. 
Their  record  on  this  line  is  better  than  their 
Irish  compeers  whose  place  they  are  taking  to  a 
great  extent.  With  a population  of  300,000 
Irishmen  in  New  York  City,  1,564  Irish  tramps 
went  to  BlackwelNs  Island  in  one  year,  while 
during  the  same  period,  with  a population  of 
half  a million  Italians,  only  sixteen  were  tramps. 
With  such  facts  before  us,  shall  we  be  justified 
in  stigmatizing  the  Italian  as  undesirable? 

II.  The  Italian  is  Ambitious—  The  unam- 
bitious stay  at  home.  These  are  perfectly  con- 
tent with  their  present  condition,  and  they  live 
from  hand  to  mouth  all  their  days,  and  never 
go  beyond  their  own  township.  We  have  their 
duplicates  in  America.  I met  a fairly  intelli- 
gent woman  the  other  day  who  was  born  in 
New  York  State  nearly  sixty  years  ago,  and  yet 
she  had  never  once  been  on  a train.  Such  an 
element  does  little  for  the  development  of  a 
country.  But  the  Italian  who  comes  to  America, 
already  poverty-stricken,  makes  tremendous 
sacrifices  so  that  he  may  give  his  children  a 
chance  in  the  race  of  life.  He  will  deny  him- 


The  Italian  in  America 


self  of  the  actual  necessities,  so  that  he  may  save 
up  money  enough  to  emigrate  to  the  promised 
land  across  the  sea.  Self-exiled,  he  suffers  all 
the  hardships  incident  to  a life  in  a foreign 
land,  grows  homesick  for  his  family,  and  after 
weary  months  of  patient  waiting,  finally  suc- 
ceeds in  saving  enough  to  send  for  his  wife  and 
children.  I saw  an  Italian  the  other  day  on 
Long  Island  who  was  earning  $10  a week  as 
man-of -all-work,  who  told  me  that  he  had  been 
in  this  country  for  a year,  and  that  a year  from 
next  March  he  was  going  back  for  his  wife  and 
four-year-old  girl.  As  he  spoke  of  his  family, 
I saw  the  tears  come  to  his  eyes,  but  the  brave 
heart  faced  the  struggle  of  eighteen  months  of 
loneliness  without  a flinch  because  of  what  it 
meant  for  all  of  them  in  the  future.  That  is  the 
stuff  the  Italian  emigrant  is  made  of.  Shall 
that  be  called  undesirable? 

III.  The  Italian  is  Abstemious— As  compared 
with  America,  the  drink  question  does  not  enter 
into  the  life  of  the  Italian  people.  Intemper- 
ance is  a rare  vice  among  them.  You  can  see 
more  drunken  men  in  New  York  City  in  one 
week  than  you  could  see  in  the  whole  of  Italy 
for  one  year.  It  is  a very  exceptional  thing  to 
see  a drunken  man  in  Italy.  The  light  wines 
they  drink  have  little  or  none  of  the  deleterious 
effects  of  American  beer  and  whiskey.  Sad  to 
relate,  of  late  years,  drinking  places  have  been 
established  in  all  the  large  cities  of  Italy  where 
the  nickel -in-the-slot  machines  are  used  for  sup- 
plying strong  drinks,  and  very  significantly, 
they  are  called  in  English,  ‘ 4 American  Bar.” 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

The  only  redeeming  feature  to  this  iniquitous 
system  is  the  absence  of  sociability,  but  it  is 
painful  to  observe  the  Italian  youth  of  both 
sexes  patronizing  this  “ American ” (?)  institu- 
tion. When  the  Italian  immigrant  reaches  this 
country,  he  discovers  that  wine  is  very  expen- 
sive, and  too  often  he  resorts  to  beer  drinking, 
but  even  with  all  this,  he  is  far  above  his  Amer- 
ican brother-laborer  in  a life  of  sobriety.  Surely 
we  will  not  consider  such  an  element  as  this 
undesirable. 

IY.  The  Italian  is  Honest. — Whatever  Ameri- 
cans may  find  to  criticize  in  the  Italians,  all 
who  have  business  dealings  with  him  declare 
unhesitatingly  that  he  is  honest.  An  Irish  law- 
yer in  a New  Jersey  city  told  a friend  of  mine 
that  he  had  been  lending  money  to  Italians  for 
twenty-seven  years,  and  he  had  his  first  cent  to 
lose.  Business  men  in  every  place  I have  visited 
in  this  country,  who  have  had  any  relations  with 
Italians,  volunteer  the  same  testimony.  A 
savings  bank  in  one  of  the  large  cities  of  New 
York  State — so  one  of  the  directors  informed 
me — was  ready  to  lend  $200  more  on  real  estate 
to  Italians  than  to  any  other  nationality.  They 
pay  their  just  debts,  and  everywhere  I go  I find 
the  American  tradesmen  perfectly  satisfied  with 
their  business  dealings.  Is  this  element  of 
honesty  undesirable?  Do  we  not  need  a little 
honest  blood  injected  into  our  body  politic? 

Y.  The  Italian  is  Pure-Blooded. — He  is  the 
product  of  the  amalgamation  of  the  best  blood 
of  the  world.  The  old  Greek,  the  noble  Roman, 
the  intellectual  Norman,  the  dashing  Spaniard, 


The  Italian  in  America 


the  warlike  Arab,  the  acute  French,  the  devout 
Latin  are  all  found  in  the  composite  Italian 
character.  Their  insanity  record  is  lower  than 
any  other  European  nation.  True  to  the  laws 
of  nature,  the  Italian  family  is  large  and  the 
nervous  system  normal.  Their  temperament 
may  be  excitable,  due  to  the  climate,  but  it  is  a 
rare  thing  to  hear  of  nervous  prostration,  the 
bane  of  our  American  civilization.  If  we  had 
space,  it  would  be  easy  to  trace  the  cause  of  the 
difference,  but  we  have  already  hinted  at  it. 
Eace  suicide  is  unknown  in  Italy.  Is  this  pure 
blood  an  undesirable  element  to  enter  into  our 
American  life  ? 

VI.  The  Italian  is  Clean. — I have  always  a 
difficult  task  before  me  in  convincing  my  brother 
and  sister  American's  of  this  fact.  There  seems 
to  be  a general  impression  in  the  minds  of  Ameri- 
cans that  the  Italians  are  dirty.  There  is  possi- 
bly a reason  for  this  impression.  The  Italians 
who  come  here  are  poor  and  bring  their  old 
country  ideas  with  them,  which  to  us  appear 
crude  and  vulgar;  but  when  we  understand  the 
nature  of  their  former  environment,  we  become 
less  critical.  The  vast  majority  of  the  Italian 
immigrants  come  from  the  country,  and  have 
a little  or  no  knowledge  of  hygiene;  there  are 
cities  in  Southern  Italy  and  Sicily  of  20,000 
inhabitants  and  more  that  have  no  sewerage  sys- 
tem, while  in  the  country  the  conditions  are 
even  worse.  To  suddenly  transplant  these  Italians 
into  a large  American  city  and  expect  a prompt 
adherence  to  sanitary  rules  and  regulations  is 
to  look  for  the  impossible.  They  are  like  chil- 


Methodism  and  the  .Republic 


dren  in  this  respect  and  are  capable  of  being 
taught,  as  they  are  also  perfectly  willing  to  be. 
One  of  the  New  York  State  inspectors  of  tene- 
ments informed  me  that  in  the  new  tenement 
houses  of  New  York  City  he  found,  without  ex- 
ception, clean  homes  among  the  Italians.  A 
graduated  physician  from  Syracuse  University, 
who  was  engaged  in  settlement  work  in  Boston 
for  two  years,  told  me  that  she  always  found 
four  clean  walls  in  the  Italian  homes.  Physi- 
cians in  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  and  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
informed  me  that  in  their  professional  visits  to 
Italian  homes  they  invariably  found  immaculate 
beds.  My  experience  in  Italy  from  Sicily  to 
the  Alps  confirms  this  testimony. 

Another  reason  for  the  wrong  impression 
among  our  people  is  due  to  the  fact  that  we  can- 
not discriminate  between  Italians  and  other  for- 
eigners. We  see  dark  eyes,  dark  hair  and  a dark 
complexion  and  conclude  that  they  are  Italians, 
whereas  they  may  be  Greeks,  or  Slavs,  or  Hun- 
garians, or  Poles,  or  Syrians,  or  Armenians,  or 
Russian  Jews,  and  some  of  these  are  very  dirty. 
A ministerial  friend  of  mine  who  is  much  inter- 
ested in  the  Italians,  took  me  for  a long  walk  to 
some  box  cars  out  of  the  city  limits,  where  he 
supposed  some  Italians  were  working.  He  had 
seen  them  often  before,  but  when  we  reached  the 
cars  we  found  that  there  was  not  an  Italian 
among  them ; they  were  either  Syrians  or  Mace- 
donians. If  a friend  of  Italians  could  be  so 
mistaken,  what  may  we  expect  of  the  average 
American,  to  whom  all  Southern  Europe  immi- 
grants look  alike? 


The  Italian  in  America 


Still  another  reason  for  this  mistaken  notion 
is  traced  to  the  dirty  work  the  Italians  do.  They 
crowd  onr  cars  on  their  way  home  from  work 
and  then  they  are  dirty.  But  Americans  would 
be  as  dirty  if  they  did  as  dirty  work.  The  odor 
that  comes  from  them  may  not  be  the  sweetest, 
and  sometimes  their  presence  on  that  account 
is  not  very  desirable,  but  it  is  unreasonable  to 
condemn  them  as  a whole  and  call  them  dirty 
when  they  are  seen  to  such  disadvantage.  See 
them  off  duty;  watch  them  with  their  families 
taking  a walk  or  going  on  a pleasure  trip;  you 
could  not  ask  for  a neater  dressed  or  more 
attractive  company. 

We  could  multiply  the  arguments  to  prove 
that  the  Italians  are  a very  desirable  element  in 
our  foreign  immigration.  A friend  of  mine  who 
has  been  twenty-seven  years  in  Italy — an  Eng- 
lishman— wrote  me  recently  from  Naples.  The 
following  extract  from  his  letter  is  a remarkable 
testimony  to  the  quality  of  men  who  are  coming 
from  Italy : 

“The  emigration  question  is  a burning  one  in 
Italy,  and  on  this  side  we  are  sure  you  are 
getting  the  cream  of  our  working-class  popula- 
tion— hard-working,  abstemious  folk.  Many 
Italians  would  gladly  check  the  emigration, 
were  it  possible,  so  convinced  are  they  of  the 
drain  it  is  to  the  country  ....  Moreover, 
the  emigration  is  leading  to  a better  knowledge 
of  Protestantism  and  the  Bible.  As  you  know, 
returned  emigrants  from  America  have  in  not 
a few  instances  brought  the  Bible  and  purer 
form  of  Christianity  back  with  them  and  several 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

churches  have  sprung  up.  The  second  genera- 
tion of  these  emigrants  to  America  will  be  edu- 
cated, good  American  citizens  and  a gain  to  the 
country.  ’ ’ 

This  statement  coming  from  an  Englishman, 
who  for  nearly  thirty  years  has  lived  in  Naples 
and  who  is  running  two  large  dry  goods  estab- 
lishments in  that  great  city,  ought  to  have 
weight.  The  fact  is,  99  percent  of  our  Italian 
immigration  is  from  the  peasant  stock — men  and 
women  who  never  saw  a large  city  until  they 
sailed  for  America,  who  know  nothing  of  the 
crimes  of  the  city,  and  who  are  in  a plastic  con- 
dition, ready  to  be  molded  by  the  first  positive 
influence  they  come  in  contact  with.  Unfor- 
tunately, they  too  often  get  into  bad  company 
and  drift  from  bad  to  worse.  They  learn  inele- 
gant English,  because  of  their  associations,  and 
then  when  they  are  heard  speaking  the  newly- 
acquired  tongue,  they  are  judged  accordingly, 
whereas,  they  are  more  to  be  pitied  than  blamed. 
I had  an  instance  of  this  the  other  day.  An 
Italian  from  Calabria  who  had  become  greatly 
interested  in  our  Church  and  who  had  volun- 
tarily subscribed  to  the  support  of  the  Church, 
used  a very  strong  exclamation  in  my  presence, 
which  greatly  shocked  those  who  heard  it.  I 
took  him  to  one  side  and  told  him  that  such 
expressions  were  considered  blasphemous  in  this 
country.  He  thanked  me  heartily  for  the  in- 
formation, and  then  named  other  vulgar  terms, 
asking  if  they  were  right.  This  showed  that  the 
man  against  his  will  had  got  into  the  wrong 
kind  of  environment  and  wanted  to  escape  from 


The  Italian  in  America 


it.  Our  business  is  to  give  them  the  right  kind  of 
environment,  and  show  that  we  like  to  help 
them  to  good  American  citizenship.  One  per- 
cent of  the  Italian  immigration  is  from  the  cities 
of  Italy,  and  represents  a rough  and  vicious  ele- 
ment. This  percent  spoils  the  reputation  of  the 
99  percent.  Take  New  York  City  as  an  illus- 
tration. There  are,  as  we  have  said,  500,000 
Italians  in  that  city;  one  percent,  or  500,  stands 
for  the  tough  element.  The  Black  Hand,  the 
thug,  the  stiletto — we  hear  frequently  from 
these,  and  our  prejudice  against  “the  Dago” 
deepens;  but  we  hear  nothing  from  the  495,000 
good,  honest,  hard-working  Italians  who  will 
become  part  of  the  bone  and  sinew,  the  brain 
and  heart  of  our  great  Nation.  Let  us  exercise 
a just  discrimination  in  measuring  the  qualities 
of  our  Southern  brother,  and  our  prejudices 
will  disappear. 

VI.  The  Italian  is  Law-Abiding . — Notwith- 
standing the  crimes  that  are  committed  by  the 
one  percent  of  immigration,  the  record  of  the 
Italian  on  criminal  lines  compares  favorably 
with  all  others,  indeed  his  average  is  much 
higher  in  law-abiding  qualities  than  some  who 
have  been  in  this  country  longer.  The  Irishman 
wielded  his  shillalah,  the  Italian  uses  his  stiletto ; 
but  these  national  emblems  or  weapons  of  de- 
fense have  been  used  from  time  immemorial,  and 
we  must  not  be  hasty  in  our  conclusions.  The 
general  idea  is  that  the  criminal  record  of  the 
Italian  is  very  high.  The  United  States  Indus- 
trial Commission  on  Immigration  declared  in  its 
report  to  Congress,  that  “Taking  the  United 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

States  as  a whole,  the  whites  of  foreign  birth 
are  a trifle  less  criminal  than  the  total  number 
of  whites  of  native  birth”;  adding,  “ Taking  the 
inmates  of  all  penal  and  charitable  institutions, 
we  find  that  the  highest  ratio  is  shown  by  the 
Irish,  whose  proportion  is  more  than  double  the 
average  for  the  foreign-born,  amounting  to  no 
less  than  16,624  to  the  million.” 

The  Italians  appear  to  disadvantage  in  crimes 
against  the  person,  though  it  is  significant  that 
they  are  chiefly  confined  to  their  own  people  and 
almost  invariably  grown  out  of  jealously  or  kin- 
dred imaginary  evils;  but  an  expert  in  crim- 
inology, Dr.  S.  J.  Barrows,  in  his  recent  work 
on  “The  Italian  in  America,”  says:  “There 
are,  no  doubt,  murders  of  sheer  brutality,  or 
those  committed  in  the  course  of  robbery.  There 
are  known  instances,  also,  of  blackmail  and  das- 
tardly assassination  by  individuals  or  bands  of 
ruffians.  But  such  outrages  are  utterly  at 
variance  with  the  known  disposition  of  the  great 
mass  of  the  Italians  in  this  country.  There  are 
vile  men  in  every  nationality,  and  it  does  not 
appear  by  any  substantial  evidence  that  the 
Italian  is  peculiarly  burdened,  though  it  has 
been  unwarrantably  reproached  through  igno- 
rance. 9 9 

A few  months  ago  I was  called  from  New 
York  City  to  Buffalo  as  a specially  invited  guest 
of  the  Methodist  Social  Union,  to  give  an  ad- 
dress on  the  Italian  in  America.  Judging  from 
what  was  told  me,  I succeeded  in  winning 
friends  for  the  Italians.  But  a few  days  later 
the  citizens  of  Buffalo  were  startled  by  seeing 


The  Italian  in  America 


in  glaring  headlines  in  the  daily  papers  an  ac- 
count of  an  "Italian  Riot.  Mob  Suppressed 
by  the  Police.  ’ ’ And,  as  one  of  my  friends  ex- 
pressed it,  "it  neutralized  all  the  good  senti- 
ment you  had  induced  toward  the  Dago.”  Of 
course  I felt  chagrined  and  disappointed,  but 
what  were  the  facts?  The  Italians  were  having 
a parade;  the  motorman  of  a passing  car,  con- 
trary to  the  rules  of  all  cities,  broke  the  pro- 
cession. "They  are  only  Dagoes”;  but  he  paid 
the  penalty  for  his  foolhardiness  by  getting 
some  rough  handling  from  the  Italians.  The 
police  were  called  in  to  separate  the  combatants 
and  the  papers  were  full  of  the  news  the  next 
morning.  All  over  the  country  the  news  spread, 
and  everywhere  the  prejudice  against  the  Italian 
was  intensified.  Supposing  the  parade  had  con- 
sisted of  Free  Masons,  or  Knight  Templars,  or 
Odd  Fellows,  or  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  sup- 
posing the  motorman  had  attempted  to  drive  his 
car  through  the  procession,  what  would  have 
happened?  Just  what  hapened  with  the  Ital- 
ians, and  without  doubt  the  motorman  would 
have  been  arrested,  while  the  public  would  have 
congratulated  the  Americans  in  parade  on  their 
plucky  spirit.  It  all  depends  on  whose  ox 
is  gored.  This  unreasoning  prejudice  is  respon- 
sible for  the  persecuting  attitude  of  the  average 
American.  I have  no  desire  to  magnify  these 
difficulties.  I recognize,  as  much  as  any  one, 
that  the  Italians  are  not  all  angels,  that  not  all 
are  worthy  to  be  named  in  the  saints’  calendar; 
but  I also  know,  that  if  they  are  let  alone,  they 
are  law-abiding  citizens  and  ornaments  to  our 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


Nation.  In  the  Southern  States  the  Italian  is 
heartily  welcomed,  and  inducements  are  offered 
him  to  migrate  South,  and  a prominent  business 
man  from  San  Francisco  told  me  that  some  of 
their  best  citizens  were  Italians,  and  that  the 
Californians  were  ready  to  accord  a warm  re- 
ception to  Italian  immigrants.  A Vicksburg, 
Miss.,  paper  recently  made  a statement  that  a 
colony  of  2,000  Italians  had  settled  near  the  city, 
and  after  three  years  there  had  not  been  a single 
criminal  or  civil  case  on  record.  Is  this  an  un- 
desirable element? 

VII.  The  Italian  is  Thrifty. — They  will  suffer 
from  unsanitary  conditions  and  be  content  to 
live  in  old  ‘ ‘ shacks  ’ ’ so  that  they  can  get  enough 
money  to  send  for  their  families  from  the  old 
country.  They  endure  this  degradation  so  that 
they  can  eventually  buy  a home  for  themselves. 
Twenty  years  ago,  we  are  told,  there  was  not  a 
single  Italian  owner  of  real  estate  in  the  dis- 
tricts where  such  owners  now  predominate.  One 
Italian  real  estate  man  alone  has  a list  of  more 
than  800  land  owners  of  Italian  descent  whose 
aggregate  holdings  in  New  York  are  approxi- 
mately $15,000,000.  Mr.  Grino  C.  Speranza, 
vice-president  of  the  Society  for  Italian  Immi- 
grants, states  that  the  savings  of  Italians  in 
New  York  City  are  more  than  $15,000,000.  The 
real  estate  holdings  he  estimates  at  $20,000,000. 
There  are  10,000  Italian  stores  in  the  city  with 
a value  of  $7,000,000,  with  a future  capital  of 
as  much  more  in  wholesale  business.  The  total 
value  of  property  possessed  by  Italians  in  New 
York  he  estimates  at  over  $60,000,000,  and  he 


The  Italian  in  America 


thinks  that  this  is  relatively  below  that  of  the 
Italian  possessions  in  St.  Louis,  Boston  and 
Chicago.  In  these  days  of  extravagance,  when 
our  American  aristocracy  charter  special  trains 
from  Los  Angeles  to  New  York  to  carry  a sick 
dog  to  a hospital  and  then  spend  $500  for  a 
casket  to  bury  it  in,  while  suffering  humanity  is 
all  about  us ; when:  our  Newport  nobility  provide 
monkeys  in  evening  dress  to  entertain  the  “four 
hundred77  at  their  evening  banquets,  while  the 
denizens  of  our  cities  are  crowded  into  tene- 
ments and  crying  for  sympathy  and  help  and 
dying  for  want  of  the  actual  necessities  of  life, 
it  is  gratifying  to  find  an  element  of  thrift,  and 
we  would  do  violence  to  truth  if  we  classified 
the  Italian  immigrant  as  undesirable. 

VIII.  The  Italian  is  Teachable. — He  is  a good 
deal  like  a child — I mean  the  illiterate  immi- 
grant. He  has  been  brought  up  under  a 
feudal  system  and  has  been  taught  to  reverence 
his  superiors;  and  by  superiors  he  understands 
those  who  live  in  larger  houses  and  have  more 
money.  I greet  them  in  Sicily  with  a cordial 
“Good  day,77  but  such  a familiar  salutation 
would  be  considered,  on  their  part,  impertinent, 
so  they  touch  their  caps  and  bow  their  heads  as 
they  say,  “Bacio  la  mano77 — I kiss  your  hand. 
They  are  submissive,  patient,  long-suffering,  re- 
sponsive, courteous — there  is  a kind  of  facina- 
tion  about  the  average  Italian.  Walt  Whitman, 
quoted  in  the  Century  Magazine  for  September, 
1907,  furnishes  a beautiful  testimony  to  the 
Italian  immigrant.  He  says:  “Browning  is  full 
of  Italy — knows  it — writes  of  it — has  something 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


of  its  air,  its  sky,  in  his  work,  his  soul.  And 
there  is  even  to  me  a great  charm  in  Italy,  in 
things  Italian,  in  the  simple  Italian  immigrants, 
in  so  far  as  I can  get  the  feel  of  the  country  at 
this  distance.  When  I got  sick  that  time  we 
went  dowTn  to  the  Staffords  on  Timber  Creek, 
there  was  a gang  of  Italian  laborers  came  along 
to  work  on  the  narrow  gauge  railroad  then  just 
being  laid ; a number  of  Italians  came,  all  sorts — - 
they  lived  in  huts  there,  accessible  of  course  to 
me,  and  I,  as  you  may  well  believe,  only  too 
ready  to  seize  the  opportunity  and  prospect 
among  them  a little.  Oh ! the  good  talks  we  had 
together.  We  became  almost  intimate.  I found 
in  them  the  same  courtesy,  the  same  charm,  the 
same  poetic  flavor  that  have  always  been  asso- 
ciated with  Italy  and  things  Italian.  I often 
read  of  accidents  on  the  road — accidents  in 
which  the  little  Italians  are  the  main  victims. 
They  are  accorded  but  scant  sympathy — nobody 
seems  to  care.  It  makes  me  sad  and  mad— riles 
me.  Yes,  they  are  the  Dagoes— always  so  harm- 
less, quiet,  inoffensive.  Italy  seems  in  some 
things  to  represent  qualities  the  exact  opposite 
of  qualities  we  cultivate  here  in  America.  The 
Italians  are  more  fervent,  tenderer,  gentler, 
more  considerate— less  mercenary.  It  runs 
through  the  whole  race,  cultivated  and  igno- 
rant—this  manifests  superiority.”  Two  days 
ago  I was  at  Massena,  N.  Y.,  and  addressed  a 
company  of  Italians.  It  was  a very  stormy  day, 
but  there  wTas  a good  attendance  at  the  church 
and  they  had  come  fully  a mile  through  a 
pouring  rain  to  be  present  at  the  service.  They 


The  Italian  in  America 


sat  there  like  children,  ready  to  hear  the  message 
of  the  Gospel — these  lineal  descendants  of  the 
men  of  Rhegium  (Acts  xxviii,  13)  with  whom 
Paul  stayed  three  days.  When  I sang  in  Italian, 
“Tell  Me  the  Old,  Old  Story/’  they  listened 
attentively  to  the  first  verse,  and  when  I sang 
the  chorus  after  the  second  verse,  without  books, 
they  joined  in  the  singing,  and  before  we  had 
sung  the  hymn  through  they  had  learned  the 
tune  and  the  words  of  the  chorus.  Then  I knelt 
in  prayer,  and  like  children  they  knelt  with  me 
and  repeated  the  prayer  after  me.  As  I 
preached,  they  nodded  their  heads  approvingly, 
and  occasionally  ejaculated  some  expressions  of 
approval.  It  would  not  take  long  to  make  those 
men  responsive  Methodist  Christians. 

The  Italian,  because  of  his  teachableness,  can 
be  made  a good  American  citizen.  They  like 
American  ways.  Despite  their  training,  there  is 
a good  deal  of  the  democrat  in  their  tempera- 
ment, and  wdien  it  finds  free  scope,  as  in  Amer- 
ica, their  natural  temperament  exerts  itself. 
They  “catch  on”  to  American  ideas.  A story 
is  told  of  a New  York  City  organ  grinder  who 
heard  that  Mascagni,  the  Italian  music  com- 
poser, was  a guest  in  one  of  the  large  hotels.  He 
made  his  appearance  in  front  of  the  hotel  and 
played  a selection  from  Mascagni’s  Cavalleria 
Rusticana.  He  turned  the  handle  very  slowly, 
much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  great  artist;  but 
he  had  a design  in  his  method.  It  so  irritated 
the  Italian  composer  that  he  rushed  down  the 
hotel  steps,  pushed  the  organ  grinder  aside,  and 
grasping  the  handle  of  the  organ,  he  turned  it 

Sig.  4 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


very  quickly  as  he  exclaimed,  “You  don't  know 
how  to  play  that  piece."  Discovering  that  it 
was  Mascagni,  the  shrewd  organ  grinder 
thanked  him  for  his  lesson,  and  the  next  day 
found  him  on  the  streets  of  the  city  with  a great 
placard  on  the  back  of  his  organ,  on  which  was 
inscribed,  “One  of  Mascagni's  pupils."  Not 
even  an  American  could  excel  that  Italian  in 
shrewdness  and  an  eye  for  business.  The  efforts 
they  make  to  become  American  citizens,  and  the 
pleasure  it  gives  them,  is  indeed  interesting,  and 
personal  reminiscences,  if  space  permitted, 
would  confirm  all  we  have  said.  It  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  their  teachable  spirit  makes  them 
particularly  teachable  to  the  influences  that 
reach  them  the  most  directly.  Permit  one  illus- 
tration. I was  once  in  a mail  coach  in  Southern 
Italy  about  thirty  miles  from  the  railroad.  It 
got  noised  about  that  a real  live  American  was 
in  the  vicinity,  and  the  natives  gathered  to  look 
at  the  curiosity.  Among  those  who  came  were 
three  peasants  who  had  been  in  America,  and 
they  began  to  talk  in  pigeon  English  to  me,  much 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  onlookers.  One  of  them 
insisted  that  I must  take  a glass  of  beer  alia 
Americana  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  I assured 
him  that  I did  not  drink  beer,  but  his  answer 
was  “Every  American  drinks  beer."  It  was 
getting  a little  embarrassing,  for  I did  not  want 
to  hurt  the  fellow's  feelings;  but  one  of  his 
companions  turned  to  him  and  said,  “There  are 
a lot  of  Americans  who  do  not  drink  beer. 
Don't  force  the  gentleman  to  do  what  he  is  not 
accustomed  to  do."  And  then  turning  to  me  he 


The  Italian  in  America 


told  me  that  he  was  a member  of  the  Italian 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia.  The  one 
Italian  had  had  the  environment  of  beer- 
guzzling  Americans,  the  other  had  been  asso- 
ciated with  American  Christian  people.  Here  is 
our  great  opportunity.  We  must  throw  the 
right  kind  of  influence  around  these  Italian 
immigrants,  and  we  can  mold  as  we  choose  the 
passive  clay. 

IX.  The  Italian  is  Naturally  Religious. — Prom 
the  days  of  Paul  the  Apostle  he  has  loved  re- 
ligion. “Your  faith  is  spoken  of  throughout 
the  whole  world,’ ’ he  said  to  the  Roman  Chris- 
tians. At  Syracuse,  Sicily,  he  saw  the  brethren 
for  three  days,  and  when  he  got  to  Puteoli  (the 
modern  Pozzuoli,  a suburb  of  Naples,  the  Nea- 
politan brethren  desired  him  to  tarry  with 
them  seven  days.  (Acts  xxviii,  14.)  Then  when 
he  went  on  to  Rome  the  brethren  came  out  fif- 
teen miles  to  meet  him,  showing  their  fearless- 
ness, sincerity  and  loyalty  to  their  prisoner- 
pastor,  “whom,  when  Paul  saw,  he  thanked  God 
and  took  courage.”  After  Paul’s  martyrdom 
they  continued  steadfast  in  the  faith  and  in  the 
catacombs  worshipped  God  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  their  conscience,  and  in  yonder  Coliseum 
some  of  them  paid  the  penalty  of  their  faith 
by  giving  their  life ’s  blood  for  their  new  Master. 
The  first  convert  to  the  Christian  faith  in  the 
Gentile  world  was  Cornelius,  the  captain  of  the 
Italian  band  who,  like  one  of  his  precedessors 
in  Christ’s  day,  was  commended  for  his  faith 
and  righteousness.  “I  have  not  found  so  great 
faith,  no,  not  in  Israel,”  said  the  Saviour,  of 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


the  Roman  centurion.  And  what  was  charac- 
teristic of  the  Italian  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Christian  era  is  true  of  today.  The  martyr 
spirit  is  very  strong  in  them,  but,  alas!  its  ob- 
ject has  been  changed;  it  runs  to  patriotism  in 
these  times  instead  of  the  Christian  religion. 
There  is  no  country  of  the  civilized  world  in  this 
twentieth  century  that  is  farther  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  than  Italy.  They  are 
disgusted  with  the  intrigues  and  money-grab- 
bing spirit  of  the  priests.  The  worship  of  relics 
and  the  business  done  in  their  manufacture  has 
nauseated  the  average  Italian,  and  all  over 
Italy  you  will  hear  the  comment,  “La  chiesa  e 
una  Santa  bottega  ’ — 1 The  Church  is  a holy 
store.  So  glaring  has  this  opposition  become 
that  Pope  Pius  X on  his  accession  to  the  chair 
of  St.  Peter,  ordered  a commission  to  be  ap- 
pointed to  look  into  the  authenticity  of  all  relics, 
but  that  is  the  last  we  heard  of  it.  It  was  too 
big  an  undertaking,  for  the  trade  in  relics  is  the 
chief  source  of  income  to  the  Church.  The  pil- 
grimages to  the  various  shrines  of  Lourdes,  Pom- 
peii, St.  Anne,  Beaupre,  etc.,  are  sources  of  tre- 
mendous revenue  to  the  Church,  and  to 
examine  the  history  of  these  shrines  and  the 
methods  adopted  to  popularize  pilgrimages 
might  be  disastrous  to  the  financial  interests  of 
the  Church.  The  revolt  of  the  people,  however, 
continues,  and  a strong  anti-clerical  sentiment 
is  prevalent  all  over  Italy.  Last  20th  of  Septem- 
ber (the  anniversary  of  the  Fall  of  the  Temporal 
Power  of  the  Pope)  over  two  hundred  anti- 
clerical meetings  were  held  in  Italy  and  the 


The  Italian  in  America 


Government  was  busy  all  day  preserving  order. 
The  Vatican,  and  St.  Peter's  even,  were  closely 
guarded  by  soldiers.  The  Socialist  element, 
particularly  in  Southern  Italy  and  Sicily,  is 
very  strong,  and  the  element,  of  course,  is  de- 
cidedly anti-clerical.  A crisis  in  ecclesiastical 
affairs  is  imminent,  and  it  would  not  surprise  us 
if  a similar  outbreak  should  fake  place  in  Italy 
as  has  just  taken  place  in  Prance.  If  the  state 
money  should  ever  be  withdrawn  from  the 
Church  in  Italy,  there  would  inevitably  come 
Church  bankruptcy,  for  the  voluntary  offerings 
of  the  people  are  very  meager  and  far  from 
sufficient  to  support  the  hordes  of  priests,  monks 
and  nuns. 

All  this  anti-clerical  feeling  is  the  result  of 
antagonism  to  the  priest:  “Siamo  softs  le  unghi 
dei  preti” — We  are  under  the  talons  of  the 
priests.  That  is  the  people's  complaint.  They 
have  had  no  other  religion  than  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic from  time  immemorial,  and  thus  they  have 
become  disgusted  with  all  religion  thrown  to 
them.  Yet  they  are  of  a very  devout  turn  of 
mind.  To  be  more  exact — they  have  lost  faith 
in  the  priest,  but  they  are  naturally  religious. 

Mrs.  Betts,  who  has  been  very  much  inter- 
ested in  Italian  settlement  work,  a devout 
Catholic  herself,  makes  this  frank  confession: 
‘ 4 The  relation  between  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  and  the  mass  of  the  Italians  in  this  coun- 
try is  a source  of  grief.  Reluctantly  the  writer 
has  to  blame  the  ignorance  of  bigotry  of  the 
immigrant  priests  who  set  themselves  against 
American  influence.  Men  who  too  often  lend 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

themselves  to  the  purposes  of  the  ward  heeler, 
the  district  leader  in  controlling  the  people,  who 
too  often  keep  silence  when  the  poor  are  the  vic- 
tims of  the  shrewd  Italians  who  have  grown  rich 
on  the  ignorance  of  their  countrymen. 9 9 This 
kind  of  leadership  is  doomed  to  fall,  both  in 
Italy  and  in  this  country,  and  if  Protestant 
Christianity  does  not  come  to  the  rescue,  these 
illiterate  masses  will  become  the  slaves  of  politi- 
cal bosses  and  eventually  drift  to  anarchism. 

No  one  who  has  lived  in  Italy  will  doubt  that 
the  Italians  are  accessible  to  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity. There  used  to  be,  and  still  is  in  some 
parts,  considerable  prejudice  against  the  name 
Protestant.  By  the  teaching  of  the  priests  it 
represented  unbelief  and  infidelity,  and  while 
the  Italian  has  little  faith  in  the  priest,  he  had 
less  sympathy  for  the  infidel.  Priests  have  been 
known  to  pile  up  Protestant  books  and  Bibles 
in  the  public  squares  and  set  fire  to  them.  As 
soon  as  the  fire  reached  the  rock  salt  which  they 
had  placed  between  the  pages,  it  would  crack, 
and  then  they  would  cry  out  to  their  supersti- 
tious onlookers,  “Just  hear  the  devils  coming 
out  of  the  Protestant  Bibles !”  But  that  day  is 
going  by  when  the  people  can  be  fooled  so  easily. 
Protestant  churches  are  being  established  all 
over  the  country  and,  except  in  the  very  remote 
places,  the  Italians  are  familiar  with  evangelical 
doctrines  introduced  by  the  Protestant  denomi- 
nations. The  result  is  very  gratifying.  The 
men  representing  the  better  educated  element 
show  great  sympathy  and  interest  in  our  work; 
in  fact,  we  never  have  any  difficulty  in  getting 


The  Italian  in  America 


the  men  to  listen  to  the  Gospel.  The  larger  part 
of  our  membership  is  composed  of  men,  and 
quite  frequently  our  congregations  are  composed 
entirely  of  men.  At  one  place  in  Sicily  I had 
a company  of  over  one  hundred  men  meet  me  at 
the  station  and  escort  me  to  the  meeting  place, 
which  was  an  old  wine  cellar,  where  there  were 
gathered  as  many  more  men  and  only  one 
woman,  and  she  was  the  wife  of  the  janitor.  The 
women  are  more  illiterate  than  the  men,  and  as 
a consequence  are  more  under  the  influence  of 
the  priest  through  the  confessional.  But  this 
cannot  continue.  Indeed,  in  one  of  our  missions 
in  Italy  there  are  as  many  women  as  men,  and 
this  work  was  begun  by  means  of  an  Italian  con- 
verted in  our  New  York  City  Mission.  The 
inter-relation  of  our  Home  and  Foreign  work 
can  be  emphasized  by  showing  that  some  of  our 
best  work  in  Italy  was  begun  by  Italians  brought 
to  God  in  the  missions  of  our  large  cities. 

The  fierd  is  white  unto  the  harvest.  The 
strategic  point  for  work  among  the  Italians  is 
our  modern  city,  and  these  diamonds  in  the 
rough  that  are  coming  to  our  country  are  bring- 
ing children  with  them  who  will  become  the 
polished  jewels  of  our  glorious  Republic,  and 
who  will  do  for  our  land  what  their  forefathers 
did  for  Italy.  In  science,  literature,  sculpture, 
music  and  painting  they  occupy  a unique  posi- 
tion, and  the  Italian  influx  in  America  shall 
bless  coming  generations.  May  God  help  us  to 
do  our  duty  to  this  interesting  people  of  the 
South  land. 


NEW  ENGLAND 


A MISSIONARY  FIELD 


BY  REV.  D.  B.  HOLT 

New  England  was  settled  by  a people  thrifty, 
religions,  Protestant  and  lovers  of  education. 
As  they  spread  their  settlements  over  the  coun- 
try, they  were  careful,  first  of  all,  to  build  the 
meetinghouse  and  the  schoolhouse.  Their  de- 
scendants retained  these  characteristics.  No 
wonder  such  a people,  scattering  west  and  south, 
have  made  their  influence  felt.  They  have  been 
important  factors  in  building  States,  establish- 
ing industries,  founding  colleges,  multiplying 
churches  throughout  the  whole  country.  For 
years  New  England  led  in  religion  and  educa- 
tion. A larger  percentage  of  its  people  were  com- 
municants of  churches  and  a smaller  percentage 
were  illiterate  than  in  any  other  section.  But 
in  the  last  fifty  years  a decided  change  has  come 
over  this  part  of  the  country,  a change  so  marked 
that  we  may  speak  of  a new  New  England.  And 
this  latter  is  not  equal  to  the  former  in  religion 
and  education.  Not  that  New  England  churches 
have  ceased  to  be  active,  or  her  schools  to  be 
efficient;  but  the  advance  is  by  no  means  in 
proportion  to  the  increase  of  population. 
There  has  come  a marked  decrease  in  church 
attendance,  a decline  in  membership  and  an 


New  England 


increase  in  illiteracy  and  crime.  There  has 
spread  over  this  whole  section  a certain  indif- 
ference to  religious  matters.  The  Sabbath  is 
not  observed  as  formerly.  Each  year  seems  to 
increase  these  conditions.  The  Christian  Church 
in  New  England  is  facing  a grave  problem  and 
struggling  with  a difficult  situation.  The  hope- 
ful circumstance  is  that  the  Christian  people  of 
this  section  are  realizing  the  situation  and  stir- 
ring themselves  up  to  meet  it. 

The  causes  of  the  change  are  various.  Some 
of  them  common  to  the  whole  country;  some 
peculiar  to  itself.  A period  of  marked  business 
prosperity  is  generally  a time  of  religious  de- 
clension. This  has  been  true  in  New  England. 
For  the  past  twenty-five  or  thirty  years,  in  par- 
ticular, manufacturing  industries  have  largely 
increased.  Cities  and  larger  towns  have  profited 
by  this.  The  opening  of  better  local  markets  has 
helped  agriculture  to  some  extent.  The  com- 
mercial spirit  has  outstripped  the  religious. 
Men  absorbed  in  money-making  cease  to  be 
deeply  interested  in  spiritual  things. 

The  deeper  cause  is  a difference  in  the  people. 
A threefold  change  has  been  taking  place.  There 
have  been  an  emigration,  a migration  and  an 
immigration.  During  the  thirty  years  fol- 
lowing the  Civil  War  a steady  stream  of  people 
were  going  out  of  New  England.  These  were 
of  the  best  native  stock — young  people  lured  by 
the  larger  opportunities  of  the  West.  The  census 
of  1900  shows  about  550,000  New  England  born, 
living  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  Probably 
the  estimate  that  800,000  native  New  Englanders 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

emigrated,  is  not  unreasonable.  That  would  be 
like  wiping  the  two  States,  Vermont  and  Rhode 
Island,  off  the  map.  Such  an  exodus  could  not 
fail  to  have  a great  effect  on  church  life. 
The  work  has  been  seriously  weakened  in  hun- 
dreds of  communities. 

At  the  same  time  there  has  been  a considerable 
migration  by  the  passing  of  people  from  small 
towns  to  larger  villages  and  cities.  Manufac- 
turing industries  afford  better  remuneration  than 
the  rocky  hillside  farms.  Take  the  State  of  Maine 
for  an  example.  During  the  decade  ending  with 
1890,  the  sixteen  cities  of  Maine  gained  in  popu- 
lation 25,830,  while  the  outside  territory  lost 
13,680.  The  same  cities  in  1900  showed  a 
gain  for  the  decade  of  29,036,  while  the  outside 
territory  gained  4,344.  This  gain  was  confined 
to  a few  manufacturing  towns ; the  country 
towns  lost  steadily.  This  change  precipitates 
the  problem  of  the  rural  church  and,  for  another 
reason,  does  not  solve  the  problems  of  the  city 
church.  What  has  taken  place  in  Maine  is  true 
of  other  New  England  States.  In  many  towns 
it  has  become  utterly  impossible  to  support  relig- 
ious work  without  outside  help.  Methodism,  in 
particular,  with  less  money  at  her  command  than 
some  other  denominations,  has  been  obliged  to 
abandon  many  fields.  The  time  has  passed  when 
untrained  men  can  be  sent  as  preachers  to  even 
small  towns  with  any  hope  of  success.  And  to 
find  trained  men  who  can  give  their  time  and 
strength  for  such  prospects  and  support  as  is 
furnished  in  these  communities,  is  impossible. 

The  heaviest  part  of  the  problem  comes  from 


New  England 


immigration.  It  may  not  be  generally  under- 
stood that  New  England  receives  a larger  relative 
proportion  of  the  immense  foreign  immigration 
than  any  other  section  of  the  country.  These 
two  tables  will  furnish  food  for  reflection : 


Percentage  of  Foreign  Born  Population  in  1900 


United  States 

13.6 

Massachusetts 

30.2 

Maine 

13.4 

Rhode  Island 

31.4 

New  Hampshire... 

.21.4 

Connecticut 

26.2 

Vermont 

13.0 

Percentage  of 

Population 

Born  of  Foreign 

Parents 

From  1870  to  1900 


1870 

1890 

1900 

Maine 

14.6 

22.9 

28.8 

New  Hampshire 

14.0 

32.2 

40.9 

Vermont 

25.3 

31.4 

34.1 

Massachusetts 

48.0 

56.2 

62.3 

Rhode  Island 

48.7 

58.6 

64.2 

Connecticut 

37.9 

50.3 

57.3 

The  rate  has  increased  since  1900.  Massa- 
chusetts has  today  65  percent  born  of  foreign 
parents,  and  is  the  most  foreign  State  in  the 
Union.  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut  are  close 
seconds.  These  three  States  have  five  cities  that 
have  a larger  foreign  percentage  than  New  York, 
Chicago  or  San  Francisco.  The  change  in 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire  has  been  most  rapid. 
In  Maine,  from  1890  to  1900,  the  native  born  in- 
creased 3.3  percent,  the  foreign  born  18.2  per- 
cent. In  New  Hampshire  the  increase  was  6.3 
percent  and  21.8  percent.  About  400,000  aliens 
have  come  into  New  England  since  1900.  It  is 
as  if  a completely  foreign  State  as  populous  as 
New  Hampshire  had  been  added.  If  children, 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


parents  and  grandparents  are  reckoned,  not  one- 
quarter  of  the  people  of  the  three  southern  New 
England  States  is  of  the  old  stock.  These  facts 
are  startling.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  churches 
have  relatively  declined  during  the  last  thirty 
years,  or  that  they  are  well  nigh  appalled  at  the 
magnitude  of  the  problem  confronting  them? 
Vice-President  Charles  W.  Fairbanks,  a few 
weeks  since,  standing  under  the  Old  Elm  in 
Boston  Common,  where  Jesse  Lee  preached  the 
first  Methodist  sermon  in  New  England,  said: 
“The  American  citizen  of  the  future  is  to  be  the 
best  citizen  of  all  the  world,  and  one  of  the  great 
influences  to  make  this  ideal  citizenship  is  the 
great  Church.”  To  convert  this  tremendous 
inrush  of  foreign  elements  into  good  American 
citizenship  is  a herculean  task  for  the  Christian 
churches  of  New  England.  To  their  honor,  be 
it  said,  they  are  meeting  this  great  responsi- 
bility with  heavier  effort.  It  is  doubtful  if 
heavier  sacrifices  are  being  made  anywhere  in 
American  Methodism  than  here.  One  of  our 
Bishops  said  some  years  ago,  that  he  knew  of  no 
Methodist  ministers  who  were  working  so  hard, 
for  so  small  salaries,  as  those  of  the  East  Maine 
Conference.  It  is  also  true  that  nowhere  are  the 
people  paying  so  much  per  member  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  ministry  as  in  the  two  Maine  con- 
ferences. The  work  among  the  foreign  people 
is  not  forgotten.  New  England  Methodism  is 
carrying  on  work  in  at  least  ten  different  lan- 
guages. The  work  might  be  greatly  increased 
if  more  means  was  available.  The  Congregation- 
alists  of  New  England  are  leading  us  in  this 


New  England 


work.  They  are  supporting  work  in  twenty  for- 
eign languages  and  are  putting  about  $100,000 
a year  into  it.  Other  denominations  are  also 
active.  The  Baptists,  in  particular,  with  larger 
means  are  doing  far  more  than  Methodism  is. 
It  seems  as  though  the  time  had  fully  come 
when  New  England  should  be  regarded  as  mis- 
sionary ground  and  Methodist  work  should  re- 
ceive more  generous  aid  from  the  general  fund, 
or  in  sheer  self-defense  New  England  Metho- 
dism must  limit  her  missionary  zeal  and  offerings 
to  her  own  borders. 


THE 


NEW  FRANCE  OF 
AMERICA 


BY  REV.  E.  C.  E.  DORION 


New  France  has  become  a reality.  The  dream 
of  Louis  XIV  has  been  realized.  True,  not  in 
the  sense  in  which  it  first  appeared,  but  never- 
theless it  has  become  a fact.  And  New  France  is 
in  New  England.  Coming  by  the  way  of  Canada, 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  ancient  Gaul  have 
established  themselves  in  the  cities  of  the  Puri- 
tans, spinning  the  wool  and  weaving  the  cotton 
that  is  to  clothe  a Nation.  Here  they  are  a 
million  strong  and  more,  potent  in  their  influ- 
ence, acquiring  property,  filling  political  offices, 
transforming  the  land  of  the  Fathers  of  this 
Nation  to  meet  their  likings. 

/ It  is  the  proud  boast  of  Methodism  that  it 
preaches  the  Gospel  in  this  country  in  twenty- 
five  different  languages  and  dialects.  Looked  at 

I from  certain  standpoints,  there  is  no  language 
that  it  employs  that  is  more  important  to  the 
future  of  this  Nation  than  the  French.  The 
Fathers  of  Methodism  seem  to  have  understood 
this  when  they  organized  the  Home  Missionary 
Society  for  the  expressed  purpose  of  using  that 
language  among  the  people  of  Louisiana.  Now 
the  theatre  of  action  has  shifted,  and  we  find 
ourselves  as  a denomination  spending  practi- 


The  New  France  of  America 


cally  all  of  our  efforts  in  this  language  in  the 
New  England  States.  With  the  single  exception 
of  a flourishing  work  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  this 
is  an  actual  fact.  And  there  is  reason  for  this. 

An  American  from  another  part  of  the  coun- 
try can  scarcely  realize  the  large  number  of 
French  Canadians  to  be  found  in  these  centers. 
The  city  of  Manchester,  N.  H.,  alone  has  more 
than  6,000  more  of  these  people  than  there  are 
native-born  in  that  city.  And  the  same  proportion 
holds  true  in  centers  like  Fall  River,  Holyoke, 
Woonsocket,  Lawrence,  Lowell — to  mention  only 
a few  of  the  larger  places.  New  England  is 
New  France.  This  is  forcibly  emphasized  every 
now  and  then,  when  the  patriotic  organizations 
of  this  people  parade  the  streets  carrying  their 
own  particular  banners  and  calling  upon  all  to 
be  true  to  their  own  nationality.  An  alert  clergy 
sees  to  it  that  the  people  remain  French  in  their 
prejudices,  for  it  is  only  thus,  they  claim,  that 
they  will  remain  Roman  Catholic.  Hence  their 
attempt  in  certain  quarters  to  keep  them  from 
learning  even  the  English  language.  Said  one 
of  these  prelates  in  public:  “Do  not  learn  to 
speak  English,  or,  if  you  do,  speak  it  just 
enough  to  do  business.  There  is  nothing  that  I 
love  to  hear  better  than  a French  Canadian 
speaking  poor  English. ’ ’ 

It  is  among  this  people  with  their  little  Can- 
adas and  their  foreign  prejudices  that  our 
Church  is  attempting  to  do  work  in  the  French 
language.  And  well  might  it  be  done,  for  among 
all  the  foreigners  who  come  to  this  country  there 
is  none  that  will  make  a better  citizen  when  once 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

he  is  Americanized.  He  is  God-fearing,  home 
loving,  peace  abiding.  Let  him  once  be  given 
the  light  and  liberty  of  the  Gospel  and  he  will 
become  a son  in  whom  the  Nation  will  take  pride. 

It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  remem- 
ber that  the  first  work  done  among  the  French 
on  this  continent  was  undertaken  by  the  Metho- 
dists. It  was  back  in  1815,  when  John  de 
Pudron  was  sent  to  Canada  by  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  English  Wesleyans.  He  reported 
that  he  found  the  people  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious. It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  France 
after  the  conquest  had  left  them  to  their  fate. 
Many  of  the  better  classes  had  returned  home. 
The  light  of  pure  Christianity  had  been  denied 
them,  as  France  had  over  and  over  again  re- 
fused to  allow  the  Huguenots  to  find  a haven 
on  Canadian  soil.  Only  here  and  there  was  there 
a Protestant  family.  Ignorance  had  grown,  and 
superstition  had  been  fostered.  But  it  was  not 
to  remain  thus.  Soon  we  see  other  missionaries 
making  their  way  across  the  waters  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  this  people.  They  build  churches,  they 
found  institutions  of  learning,  they  establish 
religious  periodicals.  Out  of  it  all  there  comes 
a strong  Protestant  following,  wdiich  has  grad- 
ually grown  until  it  is  to  be  found  on  both  sides 
of  the  line  affiliated  wdth  all  of  the  leading 
denominations. 

It  was  not  until  1870  that  work  was  begun 
by  any  denomination  in  the  United  States  on 
behalf  of  the  French  Canadians.  In  that  year 
the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Society  ap- 
pointed the  Rev.  Narcisse  Cyr  as  general  mission- 


The  New  France  of  America 


ary  among  the  French.  They  were  followed  in 
1877  by  the  Congregationalists,  when  the  Rev. 
T.  G.  A.  Cote  established  the  first  church  of  that 
denomination  among  the  French  in  the  city  of 
Lowell.  A few  years  later  our  Church  began 
work.  The  nucleus  of  nearly  all  these  congrega- 
tions were  French  Protestant  who  had  come  into 
the  manufacturing  centers  to  labor  in  the  mills. 
With  these  as  a beginning,  organizations  were 
formed  and  around  them  soon  gathered  others 
who,  coming  from  Roman  Catholicism,  found  in 
these  churches  the  light  which  they  needed.  But 
long  before  these  churches  were  organized  or  any 
formal  work  was  carried  on,  there  gathered  in 
various  parts  of  New  England  the  believers  who 
had  brought  their  faith  with  them  to  their  new- 
found home. 

Prominently  identified  with  our  work  has  been 
Bishop  Mallalieu,  who  has  it  in  his  heart  in  a re- 
markable degree.  It  was  back  in  the  early 
eighties  that  the  foundations  of  this  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  French  Canadians  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  were  laid.  Our  work  at  pres- 
ent is  carried  on  in  Manchester,  Dover,  Laconia 
and  Lawrence,  in  the  New  Hampshire  Confer- 
ence, and  in  Worcester  and  Lowell,  in  the  New 
England,  beside  other  places  that  are  visited 
by  our  men  with  more  or  less  regularity  and  as 
the  occasion  demands. 

It  is  only  within  a short  time  that  work  has 
been  begun  in  the  city  of  Lawrence,  in  charge  of 
the  Rev.  Bernard  Lizette,  a young  man  who  at 
one  time  studied  for  the  priesthood  and  has  had 
a most  remarkable  conversion.  Already  he  has  a 
Sig.  5 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

goodly  number  who  await  on  the  ministry  of  the 
Word,  while  some  fifty  children  are  gathered 
regularly  in  the  Sunday  school.  We  are  plan- 
ning the  organization  of  a church  here  very 
soon. 

It  is  difficult  to  tabulate;  as  a matter  of  fact, 
almost  impossible.  Few  are  the  statistics  to  be 
had  concerning  this  work.  The  French  Cana- 
dians move  a great  deal.  But  there  is  this  one 
thing  to  be  borne  in  mind,  wherever  they  go  they 
carry  with  them  the  good  seed.  Still  another 
difficulty  in  tabulation  is  that  many  of  the  con- 
verts, especially  the  younger  generation,  have 
found  their  way  into  the  American  churches  and 
have  become  a part  of  these  bodies.  It  is  well 
that  this  should  be  so,  but  this  must  not  be  for- 
gotten when  looking  at  the  seemingly  meager 
results  that  have  been  attained. 

The  crying  need  is  for  workers  of  intelligence 
and  consecration.  The  Church  itself  must  be 
awakened  to  the  importance  of  this  branch  of 
the  vineyard.  Very  often  where  work  is  the 
most  needed,  there  is  found  opposition  to  it  on 
the  part  of  the  official  board.  There  must  also 
be  a recognition  of  the  worth  of  the  French 
Canadian  as  a most  desirable  citizen,  who  needs 
but  to  be  taught  the  more  excellent  way.  If  we 
who  are  Protestants  have  it,  it  becomes  our  duty 
under  the  terms  of  the  great  commission  to  lead 
him  to  walk  therein.  If  it  were  possible  to 
secure  the  training  of  a number  of  French 
Canadian  Protestant  girls  as  deaconesses  and 
then  utilize  them  in  some  of  the  American 
churches  that  are  located  in  French  Canadian 


The  New  France  of  America 


centers,  much  might  be  accomplished.  Certain 
it  is  that  the  Church  of  the  living  God,  bearing 
the  name  of  Methodist,  ought  to  awaken  to  its 
great  obligation  and  opportunity  here  in  New 
England.  We  have  done  and  are  doing  some- 
thing, but  how  little  compared  with  the  demands 
of  the  situation. 


GREEKS  AND  PORTUGUESE 


BY  DR.  W.  I.  HAVEN,  SECRETARY  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
BIBLE  SOCIETY 


Of  all  the  astonishing  army  of  immigration 
peacefully  invading  this  great  Republic,  perhaps 
the  smallest  regiments  are  those  that  march  under 
the  pennant  of  Portugal  and  the  blue  and  white 
cross  of  Greece.  The  notable  change,  however, 
by  which  the  center  of  the  starting  point  of  this 
foreign  invasion  has  shifted  from  the  North  of 
Europe  to  the  ancient  capital  on  the  Bosphorus, 
brings  one  of  these  regiments  into  more  conspicu- 
ous relations  to  this  problem  of  our  future  citi- 
zenship. The  number  of  incoming  Greeks  has 
increased  remarkably  in  the  last  few  years.  The 
Portuguese  immigration  has  been  a small  but 
somewhat  steady  one  for  many  years.  The  two 
peoples  apparently  have  little  in  common.  Liv- 
ing at  the  opposite  extremes  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean, the  Portuguese  are  only  by  courtesy 
counted  as  Mediterranean  people  at  all.  Vary- 
ing in  religion;  one  belonging  to  the  Western, 
and  the  other  to  the  Eastern  branch  of  Christen- 
dom; differing  in  language,  in  racial  habits  and 
in  temperament,  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why 
they  should  be  classed  together,  and  yet  both 
are  included  in  what  is  termed  “The  Iberic 
grand  division  ” of  races,  as  compared  with  the 
Teutonic,  Celtic,  Slavic  and  other  divisions. 


Greeks  and  Portuguese 


The  Portuguese  immigrant  comes  not  so  much 
from  the  mainland  of  Portugal  itself  as  from  the 
Cape  Verde  and  other  outlying  islands.  For  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1906,  the  last  year  of 
published  record,  a total  of  8,729  Portuguese 
entered  this  country,  8,517  of  them  from  Portu- 
gal and  the  Cape  Verde  and  Azore  Islands,  and 
the  others  from  different  parts  of  the  world. 
This  was  an  advance  of  over  3,000  on  the  num- 
bers coming  from  the  same  regions  in  the  year 
1905.  During  the  last  six  months  ending  the 
1st  of  September,  1907,  6,852  immigrants  from 
Portugal  have  come  into  this  country,  which  is 
nearly  as  many  for  this  six  months  as  during  the 
whole  year  ending  June  30,  1906.  The  only  pur- 
pose of  the  use  of  these  figures  is  to  show  the 
increasing  numbers  of  these  peoples  which  are 
coming  to  be  wrought  into  the  body  of  our  citi- 
zenship. 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  Portuguese  immi- 
gration is  the  fact  that  families  come  together. 
The  proportion  of  females  to  the  whole  number  of 
Portuguese  immigrants  is  noticeably  large.  Dur- 
ing the  year,  according  to  the  last  published  re- 
port of  the  Commissioner  of  Immigration,  there 
were  3,633  females  who  entered  this  country  in 
company  with  5,096  males;  and  very  nearly  all 
of  these  were  between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and 
forty-four  years,  only  187  being  over  forty- 
five — 580  being  children  under  fourteen. 

This  is  not  by  any  means  characteristic  of  the 
total  wave  of  immigration  which  consists  so  re- 
markably of  young  men,  giving  rise  to  the  start- 
ling figures  of  the  Statesmen’s  Year  Book,  which 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

show  that  while  the  total  immigrant  foreign-born 
population  of  the  United  States  in  1900  w^as  only 
13.6  percent  of  the  total  population,  the  per- 
centage, by  the  way,  varying  only  a trifle  from 
the  percentage  of  foreign-born  population  of 
1860,  namely,  13.2  percent,  and  in  1880,  13.3 
percent,  yet  in  1900,  of  the  20,822,733  males  of 
voting  age,  twenty-one  years  and  over,  4,981,400, 
or  nearly  one-fourth,  were  of  foreign  birth. 

The  Portuguese  population  of  this  Republic 
must  be  at  the  present  time  in  the  neighborhood 
of  50,000  souls.  A quiet,  unobtrusive,  domestic 
people,  they  have  not,  in  common  with  the  other 
immigration,  sought  the  great  cities  of  the  coun- 
try and  distributed  themselves  far  and  wide 
throughout  the  Nation ; they  have  curiously  con- 
fined themselves  to  two  or  three  localities.  Nearly 
all  of  the  Portuguese  in  the  United  States  are 
located  either  along  the  eastern  coast  of  New 
England  or  on  the  Pacific  Slope.  In  many  of 
the  towns  in  Rhode  Island;  in  the  ancient  city 
of  New  Bedford;  along  the  shores  of  Cape  Cod, 
everywhere  will  be  found  Portuguese  settle- 
ments. Many  of  those  weather-beaten,  gray- 
shingled  houses  on  the  little,  narrow  cobble-stone 
streets  of  Provincetown,  and  the  other  shore 
communities  of  Cape  Cod  that  used  to  be  occu- 
pied by  the  well-to-do  families  of  the  old  whal- 
ing interests,  are  now  the  homes  of  these  new- 
comers. So  far  as  this  country  is  concerned, 
the  Portuguese  are  chiefly  interested  in  the  fish- 
ing industries.  They,  however,  work  in  the  mills 
in  the  winter  and  have  had  a little  to  do  with 
the  clothing  trade  in  Boston.  In  all  these  towns 


Greeks  and  Portuguese 


there  has  been  something  of  a sympathetic  out- 
reach towards  them  on  the  part  of  the  native 
American  population ; but  inasmuch  as  they  are 
Roman  Catholic  in  religion,  as  well  as  alien  in 
speech,  many  obstacles  have  to  be  overcome.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  the  Congrega- 
tionalist  churches  in  New  England  have  workers 
among  them,  and  the  local  pastors  have  ap- 
proached them,  but  so  far  there  has  been  little 
incorporation  of  these  peoples  into  the  old 
churches,  and  very  few  successful  mission 
churches  established  amongst  them,  though  a be- 
ginning has  been  made.  The  other  local  neigh- 
borhood to  which  Portuguese  immigrants  find 
their  way  is  California.  The  most  hopeful 
region  of  Protestant  mission  work  among  the 
Portuguese,  strangely  enough,  is  in  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  many  have  become 
not  only  earnest  Christian  converts,  but  also  mis- 
sionaries themselves. 

The  Greek  population  in  the  United  States 
probably  exceeds  60,000,  and  is  increasing  much 
more  rapidly  than  the  Portuguese.  It  is  of 
recent  origin,  relatively.  The  Portuguese  ac- 
cording to  Professor  Commons,  found  their  way 
to  America  most  accidentally,  “for  it  was  the 
wreck  of  a Portuguese  vessel  on  the  New  Eng- 
land coast  that  first  directed  their  attention  to 
that  section.’ ’ This  was  many  years  ago.  The 
Greeks  have  only  recently  been  attracted  to  this 
country,  but  now  they  are  coming  in  consider- 
able numbers.  While  possibly  not  as  stable  and 
unobtrusive  an  element  in  our  national  life  as 
the  Portuguese,  the  Greeks  are  certainly  a most 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

attractive  and  interesting  addition  to  this  won- 
derful “olla-podrida”  served  for  the  digestion 
of  the  American  people.  The  imagination  cannot 
help  being  stirred  at  the  thought  of  the  immigra- 
tion of  the  descendants  of  the  marvelous  repub- 
lics of  ancient  Greece  to  this  new  and  undreamed 
of  Republic  of  America.  While  it  may  seem  to 
many  a far  cry  from  the  modern  Greek  to  Praxi- 
teles, Aristides,  Demosthenes,  Herodotus  and 
Pericles,  from  the  fruit  and  flower  booths  in  our 
cities  to  the  glories  of  the  Acropolis,  yet  it  is 
a fact  to  be  reckoned  with  that  few  peoples  of 
the  European  world  have  preserved  with  more 
intensity  the  memory  of  their  past  and  are  more 
sensitive  to  their  ancient  glories  than  the  Greeks. 
The  modern  Greek  language  has  not  traveled  so 
far  from  the  Greek  of  the  classics  as  one  might 
think,  and  there  are  strange  conservative  forces 
dominating  the  Greeks  today  that  make  them 
build  their  present  cities  on  the  lines  of  their 
ancient  architecture  and  cause  them  even  by  law 
to  require  that  the  Scriptures  which  are  circu- 
lated in  Greece  shall  be  in  the  ancient  language. 
I doubt  if  there  is  a Greek  in  this  country  today 
that  does  not  bear  in  his  heart  the  traditions  of 
Marathon  and  Salamis  as  surely  as  the  migrating 
New  Englanders  remember  Lexington  and  Bun- 
ker Hill.  They  are  a proud  people. 

During  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1906, 
23,127  Greeks  entered  this  country,  only  861  of 
them  females — nearly  the  entire  number  between 
fourteen  and  forty-four  years  of  age;  19,489 
males  from  Greece  itself  and  almost  all  the  rest 
from  Turkey  in  Europe.  This  was  an  advance 


Greeks  and  Portuguese 


of  nearly  9,000  over  1905.  During  the  six 
months  ending  September  1st,  1907,  23,051  have 
arrived  at  the  port  of  New  York,  a larger  total 
than  the  entire  arrival  of  the  year  ending  June 
30,  1906,  which  has  been  quoted.  This  gives 
some  impression  of  the  remarkable  and  rapid 
increase  in  the  inflow  from  this  fountain-head. 
Where  do  these  Greeks  come  from,  and  what  are 
their  occupations  and  customs  and  beliefs  at 
home?  As  has  been  seen,  they  are  nearly  all 
young  men,  or  men  in  middle  life.  They  come 
from  the  mountains  and  valleys  of  the  Pelopon- 
nesus, some  from  Macedonia,  others  from  Turkey, 
others  from  Egypt.  Women  are  just  beginning 
to  come.  At  home  most  of  these  men  are  farm- 
ers, raising  grapes  and  other  crops  in  the  little 
country  villages  and  communities  of  their  beauti- 
ful land.  They  are  practically  all  members  of 
the  Greek  Church,  more  or  less  familiar  with  the 
Scriptures  as  recited  or  intoned  by  the  priests 
in  the  services  of  that  Church.  They  have  come 
to  this  country  in  most  cases  to  make  money. 
Many  of  them  have  an  idea  of  going  back  home 
to  their  country  after  they  have  enriched  them- 
selves here,  but  relatively  few  of  them  go  back. 
The  attractions  of  our  civilization,  intermarriage 
with  other  populations,  either  of  foreign  birth 
or  native  born,  the  impossibilities  of  taking  up 
their  new  modes  of  life  in  the  communities  from 
which  they  came,  all  hold  them  in  this  country. 
Unlike  the  Portuguese,  who  seem  to  be  planted 
in  only  a few  sections  of  this  country,  the  Greeks 
go  everywhere.  They  are  found  in  every  city, 
large  and  small,  throughout  the  Nation.  At  first 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


they  turn  their  hand  to  anything  that  comes 
along  in  the  way  of  manual  labor,  blacking 
shoes  on  shoestands,  in  ferryboats,  railway  sta- 
tions, etc.,  doing  menial  service  in  the  great 
buildings  under  the  superintendence  of  janitors, 
working  in  hotels,  and  later  opening  fruit,  con- 
fectionery, and  flower  stores.  Almost  all  the 
flower  stands  in  some  of  our  great  cities  are  in 
the  hands  of  Greeks.  They  also,  from  catering 
to  their  own  people,  become  restaurant  keepers, 
and  many  of  their  restaurants  are  frequented  by 
all  sorts  and  conditions  of  city  life.  They  are 
enterprising,  stirring  people.  Professor  Steiner 
says  of  the  modern  Greek,  “He  is  no  plunger. 
He  moves  along  a straight  and  narrow  way 

which  leadeth  to  a big  bank  account 

He  is  industrious  and  temperate,  yet  he  likes  to 
lounge  about  the  saloons,  where  he  sometimes 
gets  too  much  of  his  native  wine,  and  then  he 
can  be  a really  bad  fellow.  The  big  cities  spe- 
cially attract  them.” 

There  are  thirteen  or  fourteen  thousand 
Greeks  in  New  York,  and  nearly  as  many  in  Chi- 
cago. They  have  their  Greek  churches  in  this 
country,  with  their  priests  and  their  ritual. 
Many  of  them  do  not  go  to  church  at  all,  but 
they  do  not  affiliate  with  or  become  Roman  Cath- 
olics. A little  Protestant  work  is  being  done 
among  them.  Missionaries  representing  city 
mission  and  other  home  mission  activities  of  the 
Protestant  churches  have  work  in  Lowell  and 
Boston,  Mass.,  in  New  York  and  Albany,  N.  Y., 
and  in  Chicago,  111.,  specially.  There  are  Greek 


Greeks  and  Portuguese 


students  in  Mt.  Hermon,  in  Springfield,  Mass., 
and  in  Crozier  Seminary,  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  demand  for  the  modern  Greek  Scriptures 
among  these  people,  though  slight,  is  steadily  in- 
creasing. The  issues  from  the  American  Bible 
Society  show  384  Bibles  and  Testaments  in  mod- 
ern Greek  called  for  during  the  year  ending 
March  31,  1903,  and  935  Bibles  and  Testaments 
during  the  year  ending  March  31,  1907. 

Almost  all  this  male  Greek  population  takes 
out  naturalization  papers,  indicating  their  pur- 
pose of  becoming  a part  of  this  Nation.  At 
present,  living  as  they  do  in  flats,  men  crowded 
together  without  the  opportunities  and  ideals  of 
home  life,  they  are  less  accessible  to  our  Amer- 
ican Christianity,  which  is  organized  on  the  unit 
of  the  home.  There  is,  however,  a great  work 
for  young  men  to  do  to  become  acquainted  with 
and  welcoming  to  their  brotherhoods  these  wide- 
awake, intellectually  active,  Greek  brethren. 
When  their  women  begin  to  follow  them  in  large 
numbers  to  this  country,  so  that  the  ideals  and 
privileges  of  home  life  are  restored  to  them,  it 
ought  to  be  possible  to  win  among  them  many  a 
spiritual  convert  like  Damaris  and  Dionysius, 
and  to  establish  Christian  churches  as  devout  as 
those  of  Berea  and  Thessalonica.  To  this  end 
ought  not  our  Methodism  to  pray  and  labor? 


PORTO  RICO 


A METHODIST  ROMANCE  OF  MISSIONS 


BY  BENJAMIN  S.  HAYWOOD,  SUPERINTENDENT 


When  Christopher  Columbus  sailed  homeward 
from  his  first  visit  to  the  New  World,  he  did  not 
dream  that  to  the  eastward  there  was  a beautiful 
island  which  he  had  overlooked.  On  his  return, 
however,  he  skirted  along  its  southern  shores 
and  claimed  the  newly-found  land  for  Spain. 
There  was  with  Columbus  on  his  return,  a Span- 
iard named  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon.  He  did  not 
remain  in  Hispaniola,  which  was  considered  the 
principal  island  of  the  archipelago,  but  visited 
the  new  land  which  he  had  seen.  As  he  coasted 
along  the  northern  shore  he  found  the  beautiful 
harbor  where  San  Juan  is  now  located  and 
called  it  Puerto  Rico.  Thus  was  Porto  Rico 
brought  into  the  arena  of  history. 

To  other  islands  of  the  West  India  group  have 
been  applied  endearing  terms,  but  the  value  of 
a gem  is  not  determined  by  its  size.  To  Porto 
Rico,  the  smallest  of  the  Greater  Antilles,  and 
the  farthest  east  of  the  group,  belong  many  dis- 
tinctions which  give  it  an  honored  place  among 
its  sister  islands. 

Although  in  the  tropics,  the  climate  of  Porto 
Rico  is  mild;  the  northeast  trade  winds  sweep 
across  it  and  the  ocean  breezes  moderate  the  heat 


Porto  Rico 


of  the  tropical  sun.  The  temperature  ranges 
between  50  and  100  degrees,  but  these  extremes 
are  seldom  reached.  The  interior  of  the  island 
is  a broad  tableland  of  3,500  feet  elevation,  and 
the  rivers,  which  flow  swiftly  to  the  sea,  free 
the  land  from  stagnant  water. 

The  soil  of  Porto  Rico  is  rich,  sandy  loam 
which  is  very  productive.  In  the  mountains  may 
be  found  large,  stately  trees,  and  there  are  large 
tracts  of  land  covered  with  nutritious  grass. 
About  65  percent  of  the  people  are  engaged  in 
agriculture,  and  the  chief  products  of  the  soil 
are  tobacco,  sugar  and  coffee.  The  story  of 
Porto  Rico’s  productiveness  reads  like  a myth. 
The  methods  of  cultivation  are  still  very  crude, 
but  the  ground  has  only  to  be  scratched,  the 
seed  sown,  and  immediately  the  harvest  comes 
forth.  With  very  little  attention  all  of  the 
flowers  and  vegetables  and  many  of  the  fruits 
which  are  grown  in  the  United  States,  thrive 
in  Porto  Rico.  Unfortunately,  the  quality  of 
the  products  has  degenerated,  and  not  for  many 
years,  until  after  the  American  occupation,  has  a 
superior  quality  of  seed  been  used. 

The  principal  animals  of  Porto  Rico  are  the 
domestic  ox,  the  small  pack  pony  and  the  goat. 
The  ox-cart  has  for  centuries  been  the  popular 
mode  of  transportation,  but  the  railway  which 
now  encircles  the  island,  and  the  electric  lines 
of  the  largest  cities  and  the  automobile  are  ds- 
tined  to  supplant  it.  The  American  horse  and 
the  army  mule  are  recent  contributions  to  Porto 
Rico’s  facilities  for  travel,  and  the  little  pack 
pony  will  soon  belong  to  a day  that  has  passed. 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


The  area  of  Porto  Rico  is  about  3,676  square 
miles,  or  about  three  times  the  size  of  Rhode 
Island.  There  are  1,000,000  people  living  on  the 
island;  the  density  of  the  population  is,  there- 
fore, about  272  persons  to  the  square  mile,  or 
about  equal  to  that  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 
More  than  three-fifths  of  the  people  are  white, 
and  nearly  two-fifths  are  partly  or  entirely 
negroes.  In  the  mixed  races  there  are  traces  of 
the  blood  of  the  early  Indians,  who  were  the  first 
inhabitants  of  the  island.  About  250,000  persons 
are  employed  as  laborers  in  the  fields.  Though 
small  in  weight  and  stature,  their  bodies  are  all 
bone  and  sinew,  and  they  have  great  power  of 
endurance.  Because  of  the  poor  facilities  for 
education,  the  illiteracy  of  the  island  is  very 
great.  It  is  usually  placed  at  85  percent;  and, 
under  the  educational  qualification,  only  50,000 
were  recently  entitled  to  the  use  of  the  ballot. 
The  average  wages  paid  to  the  day  laborer  is 
about  thirty-five  cents,  and  a house  servant  can 
be  secured  for  three  dollars  per  month.  The 
women  make  elegant  laces  and  have  developed  to 
a remarkable  degree  the  art  of  making  all  kinds 
of  fancy  work.  Very  little  of  the  artistic  is  to  be 
found  in  the  men;  their  principal  accomplish- 
ment is  the  manufacture  of  fine  straw  hats. 

The  religion  of  Porto  Rico  is  nominally  Roman 
Catholic.  The  Bishopric  of  Porto  Rico  was 
established  in  1504,  and  it  was  the  first  in  the 
New  World.  The  leading  Protestant  Churches 
are  represented  in  the  island,  but  very  fre- 
quently yet,  in  the  interior,  they  meet  with  severe 
persecution  at  the  hands  of  the  Romanists. 


Porto  Rico 


When  counting  in  numbers  the  Roman  Church 
claims  the  entire  population  of  the  island,  but 
an  intelligent  Romanist  has  said  that  probably 
not  over  10  percent  of  the  people  comply  with 
the  conditions  of  the  Roman  Church.  A Roman 
priest  said  recently  in  the  Cathedral  in  San  Juan 
that  he  thanked  God  for  the  Protestant  Church 
in  Porto  Rico,  because  the  people  could  profit 
from  the  educational  privileges  which  the  Prot- 
estant Churches  afford.  The  Spanish  people  in 
Porto  Rico  are  nearly  all  subjects  of  Rome,  but 
the  Porto  Ricans  have  no  religion.  It  has  been 
frequently  stated,  upon  good  authority,  that  they 
thoroughly  dislike  the  Roman  Church,  but,  hav- 
ing no  other  to  which  to  turn,  for  many  genera- 
tions they  have  been  a people  without  a religion. 
An  intelligent  Romanist  recently  said  of  them, 
“When  they  go  to  the  Catholic  Church  they 
go  as  they  do  to  the  theatre.  ’ ? The  attitude  of 
the  Roman  Church  is  secretly  anti-American, 
and  she  is  still  continuing,  in  a feeble  way,  her 
protest  against  the  public  schools  and  other  insti- 
tutions which  the  authority  of  the  United  States 
has  made  possible.  However,  the  secret  and 
incessant  labors  of  Rome  through  political  chan- 
nels is  the  greatest  cause  for  fear,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  her  endeavors  to  influence  the  policy  of 
the  Government  arouses  grave  suspicions. 

The  only  Protestant  Church  in  Porto  Rico  be- 
fore the  American  occupation  was  a small 
society  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  faith  in 
Ponce.  In  the  nine  years  in  which  the  island 
has  been  open  to  all  the  Churches,  the  leading  de- 
nominations have  established  missions  through- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

out  its  territory.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  the  last  to  enter  this  field  and  the 
work  of  our  Church  has  been  carried  on,  since 
its  inauguration  seven  years  ago,  with  charac- 
teristic vigor  and  precision. 

Such  were  the  conditions  which  obtained  and 
the  opportunities  presented  when  Rev.  C.  W. 
Drees,  D.D.,  of  South  America,  was  chosen  by 
the  Bishops  in  1899  to  organize  a mission  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Porto  Rico.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Drees  reached  San  Juan  in  March, 
1900,  and  found  a number  of  persons  who  were 
Methodists,  and  others  who  were  friends  of  the 
Church.  Within  forty-eight  hours  a suitable 
hall  in  San  Juan  was  secured  for  services.  From 
the  date  of  Methodism’s  entrance  into  Porto 
Rico  the  growth  of  the  work  has  been  phe- 
nomenal. 

The  present  territory  of  the  Porto  Rico  Mis- 
sion is  the  island  of  Porto  Rico  and  the  smaller 
islands  of  Vieques  and  Culebra,  which  lie  off 
the  east  coast  of  Porto  Rico  about  twenty-five 
miles  distant.  In  the  brief  time  which  has  been 
spent  in  this  field,  mission  centers  have  been 
established  throughout  this  territory,  but  be- 
cause of  poor  facilities  for  travel,  the  great  dis- 
tances between  the  missions  and  the  dense  popu- 
lation, a great  majority  of  the  peole  are  still 
unreached. 

In  1904  the  Government  established  a naval 
station  at  Culebra,  and  there  are  from  50  to 
100  marines  in  the  barracks  at  this  place  most 
of  the  time.  The  beautiful  harbor  of  this  island 
and  the  unfrequented  bays  and  sounds  of  this 


Porto  Rico 


comer  of  the  southern  seas  afford  a suitable 
place  for  the  rendezvous  of  the  Atlantic  Squad- 
ron. The  hills  and  mountains  and  sea  shriek 
and  tremble  at  the  thundering  of  the  big  guns 
at  target  practice.  Roosevelt  is  the  name  of  a 
small  town  just  started  on  the  bay  a short  dis- 
tance from  the  naval  station.  A small  but  com- 
fortable chapel,  made  possible  by  three  business 
men  in  California,  affords  a place  of  worship  for 
the  people  of  the  town  and  island.  Through  the 
indomitable  and  heroic  labors  of  our  supply 
missionary,  a copy  of  the  Bible  or  some  portion 
of  the  Scriptures  has  been  placed  in  every  home 
and  hut  on  the  island. 

Vieques,  or  Crab  Island,  is  one  of  the  most 
fertile  spots  on  the  archipelago.  Stock-raising 
was  originally  the  leading  occupation  of  the 
people.  Beautiful  and  extensive  pastures  of 
waving  grass  cover  the  island.  The  finest  cattle 
and  horses  of  the  West  Indies  have  been  raised 
here;  but  the  demand  for  good  stock  has  taken 
from  Vieques  many  of  its  large  droves.  The 
sugar  industry  has  recently  interested  the  people, 
and  many  are  turning  their  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  cane. 

The  United  States  has  five  magnetic,  terrestrial 
stations:  one  in  Alaska,  one  in  Hawaii,  one  near 
Washington,  D.  C.,  one  in  Kansas  and  one  on 
the  island  of  Vieques.  Because  of  peculiar  con- 
ditions existing  in  this  portion  of  the  hemisphere, 
some  most  valuable  and  interesting  observations 
have  been  made  at  this  station. 

Besides  the  natives,  there  are  many  English- 
speaking  negroes  in  Vieques,  who  have  come 

Sig.  6 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

from  the  islands  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  Croix, 
nearby.  These  people  are  pious  and  of  a relig- 
ious temperament.  The  town  of  Isabel  Segunda 
is  the  principal  city  of  the  island,  and  here  our 
work  in  Vieques  began  five  years  ago.  In  intro- 
ducing and  establishing  Methodism  in  this  cor- 
ner of  the  universe,  the  scriptural  prophesy,  “ A 
little  child  shall  lead  them,”  was  literally  ful- 
filled. Felipe  Cruz,  an  eight-year-old  child, 
looked  up  into  the  face  of  the  priest  one  day  and 
said,  “Father,  I’m  no  longer  a Spaniard,  I’m  a 
Methodist.”  Through  the  efforts  of  this  lad  the 
people  rallied,  the  church  was  built  and  scores 
have  been  led  to  Christ. 

Other  churches  concede  to  Methodism  the 
superiority  of  its  methods  in  the  mission  field. 
Without  discrediting  the  work  of  others,  it  is  no 
exaggeration  to  say  that  Methodism  is  doing  the 
greatest  work  for  the  evangelization  of  Porto 
Rico.  The  comity  exists  whereby  each  Church 
has  its  own  territory  to  labor  in,  but  others  are 
calling  upon  Methodism  to  come  into  their  field 
to  help  them.  Every  day  brings  pitiful  pleas 
for  more  chapels  and  schools  or  larger  places  for 
worship,  and  the  almost  limitless  field  which 
opens  before  us  is  our  great  embarrassment.  The 
people  are  hungry  for  the  truth.  They  are  quick 
to  learn  and  many  make  great  sacrifices  in  order 
that  they  may  hear  the  Gospel  and  know  its 
power. 

It  may  be  well  at  this  point  to  take  a view 
of  the  present  equipment  of  Methodism  in  this 
newest  of  her  mission  fields.  There  are  now  thir- 
teen American  missionaries  representing  con- 


Porto  Rico 


ferences  from  New  York  to  California  and  from 
the  Gulf  to  the  Great  Lakes.  These  are  all  men 
of  experience  in  the  pastorate,  and  a number  of 
them  have  had  previous  experience  in  the  mis- 
sion field.  The  majority  speak  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage fluently  and  accurately.  This  equipment 
of  missionaries  is  very  providential  and  gives 
to  our  work  both  efficiency  and  prestige.  There 
are  fifteen  local  preachers  and  all  of  these  are 
native  men.  Most  of  them  are  doing  excellent 
work  as  preachers  and  pastors,  and  their  ability 
is  measured  by  the  many  whom  they  are  bring- 
ing into  the  Kingdom  through  their  personal 
effort.  These  men  are  carrying  their  studies 
with  credit  to  themselves,  in  view  of  the  heavy 
labors  which  they  perform.  Our  equipment  is 
further  supplemented  by  twenty-two  exhorters. 
The  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  with  which  these 
men  can  take  a meeting  at  a pivotal  point  and 
sway  the  congregation  with  their  appeal,  has 
always  turned  into  a victory  what  might  other- 
wise have  been  a failure  to  touch  some  heart. 

There  are  sixteen  mission  centers,  which  are 
presided  over  by  a missionary  who  has  for  his 
assistants  one  or  more  local  preachers  and  ex- 
horters. These  centers  are  well  distributed 
throughout  the  territory  which  has  been  allotted 
to  Methodism.  First  Church  and  Trinity,  in 
San  Juan,  Puerta  de  Tierra  and  Santurse ; 
Camuy  and  Hatillo;  and  Aricebo  are  on  the 
north  of  the  island.  First  Church,  St.  Paul  and 
the  Playa  in  Ponce,  Guayama,  Patillas  and 
Maunabo  are  on  the  south ; and  Aibonito,  Javuya, 
Utuado  and  Commerrio  are  in  the  interior.  The 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

two  islands  of  Culebra  and  Vieques  are  just  off 
the  east  coast.  Each  mission  center  has  not  only 
the  duties  attaching  to  the  one  church,  but  a 
variety  of  addition  responsibilities.  Connected 
with  each  there  are  from  six  to  twenty  chapels 
located  at  distances  from  five  to  fifteen  miles, 
and  religious  services  and  day  schools  are  con- 
ducted in  these  points  by  the  native  helpers. 

Our  missionaries  and  native  preachers  are 
greeted  every  week  by  150  congregations,  the 
size  of  them  being  limited  only  by  the  capacity 
of  the  room  where  service  is  held.  Often  the 
crowd  of  listeners  without  is  as  large  and  atten- 
tive as  that  within.  Those  who  stand  afar  off 
and  listen,  are  simply  candidates  for  the  later 
experience  of  coming  early  in  order  to  obtain  a 
seat  within  the  house.  The  services  for  all  of 
these  congregations,  except  two,  are  conducted 
in  the  Spanish  language.  The  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  San  Juan  has  all  of  its 
services  in  English,  and  while  every  one  is  in- 
vited to  attend,  yet  the  membership  and  congre- 
gation are  composed  largely  of  American  people 
who  are  living  in  the  capital  and  its  suburbs. 
This  is  the  first  Methodist  society  in  Porto  Rico, 
and  it  is  fully  organized  as  a church  and  is  doing 
a good  service  in  behalf  of  the  American  popula- 
tion. St.  Paul’s,  in  Ponce,  is  the  other  English 
congregation.  There  are  a great  many  English- 
speaking  people  in  Ponce,  but  the  great  majority 
of  them  are  Porto  Ricans. 

There  are  fifty-five  Sunday  schools  connected 
with  our  work  in  Porto  Rico.  These  average  in 
attendance  from  35,  which  is  the  size  of  the 


Porto  Rico 


English  Sunday  school  in  San  Juan,  to  over 
200  in  many  of  the  Spanish  churches.  The  in- 
struction which  is  afforded  the  children  in  these 
schools  is  of  a nature  to  prepare  them  for 
future  influence  in  the  Church  and  community. 
The  Porto  Rican  children  sing  with  much  en- 
thusiasm. Their  voices  are  high  and  shrill  and 
the  principle  involved  seems  to  be  that  he  who 
sings  loudest  sings  best.  No  choir  nor  soloist 
is  needed  to  inspire  them,  and  they  learn  the 
hymns  very  rapidly  and  sing  mostly  from 
memory. 

After  seven  years  of  consecrated  toil  in  this 
island  empire,  our  Church  can  count  3,600  bona 
fide  members.  This  number  includes  probation- 
ers. In  the  membership  will  be  found  all  the 
degrees  of  intelligence  and  social  position  which 
obtain  in  Porto  Rico.  Also,  there  are  representa- 
tives of  all  the  shades  and  hues  of  the  human 
skin  and  the  accents  of  language  which  are 
known  to  man  in  the  Western  Hemisphere. 
Among  the  native  people,  the  color  line  is  very 
definitely  drawn,  and  we  are  informed  that  this 
is  a recent  acquirement;  inspired,  perhaps,  by 
some  over-sensitive  Americans  who  have  come 
to  the  island.  But  the  interesting  problem  is  to 
know  where  the  line  is  to  be  drawn.  Between 
those  who  are  of  unmixed  negro  blood  and  those 
of  white  blood  there  are  an  infinite  number  of 
degrees  of  color  and  all  of  the  freaks  which 
Nature  plays  in  adjusting  the  color  of  the  skin. 
Among  the  poorest  classes,  whites  and  blacks 
live  together  in  crowded  patios  or  single  rooms, 
and  the  only  problem  which  seems  to  stir  their 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

breasts  is  that  of  existence.  To  the  casual  ob- 
server, the  faces  and  hands  and  feet  of  these 
poor  people  have  become  so  thoroughly  coated 
with  filth  that  the  color  of  the  skin  is  not  easily 
detected.  Rut  it  is  for  such  as  these,  as  well  as 
for  the  more  fortunate,  that  we  have  brough  the 
Message  to  Porto  Rico.  Abraham  Lincoln  came 
from  a home  of  extreme  poverty ; Toussaint 
POuvertour  was  bom  a slave,  his  father  having 
been  brought  from  the  wilds  of  Africa.  Who 
can  say  but  what  the  future  statesmen  and  pa- 
triots of  Porto  Rico  are  now  the  litle  “choco- 
late drops’’  of  the  squalid  patios. 

As  is  invariably  the  case  with  a people  com- 
ing up  from  bondage,  Porto  Rico  is  contributing 
liberally  toward  the  support  of  the  mission.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1906  the  membership  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  contributed  of  its  extreme  poverty 
over  $1  per  member  for  self-support.  The  Eng- 
lish congregation  of  San  Juan  paid  over  $33 
per  member,  and  the  amount  gradually  decreases 
to  the  pennies  of  the  people  of  the  mountain 
country.  First  Church,  San  Juan,  has  the  only 
Epworth  League  on  the  island,  and  its  members 
have  built  a day  school  at  Aibonito  and  are 
paying  $15  a month  for  the  support  of  a native 
teacher. 

This  is  the  most  important  year  thus  far  of 
our  history,  for  the  mission  is  a matter  of 
Church  Extension.  Four  large  and  vastly  im- 
portant church  enterprises  are  now  on  hand. 
At  Ponce,  a large  and  creditable  building  is 
being  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  both  the 
Spanish  and  the  English  congregations.  There 


Porto  Rico 


are  two  separate  auditoriums  and  these  commo- 
dious quarters  are  expected  to  contribute  largely 
toward  the  development  of  the  work  in  this 
metropolis  of  the  southern  coast.  First  Church, 
San  Juan,  has  never  had  a home  of  its  own,  and 
the  places  of  worship  have  been  inadequate  and 
unattractive.  The  Americans  in  San  Juan  are 
in  great  need  of  the  tempering  influence  of  the 
Church,  and  many  have  been  saved  from  drifting 
by  its  timely  care.  A year  ago,  a beautiful  cor- 
ner lot,  located  in  Santurse,  one  of  the  nearby 
suburbs,  was  secured.  This  location  is  proving 
more  than  was  expected,  because  of  the  fact  that 
most  of  the  Americans  are  moving  to  Santurse. 
A modern  and  commodious  building  for  this  con- 
gregation is  now  under  construction,  and  it  is 
expected  to  be  ready  in  four  months  for  occu- 
pancy. Its  site  is  at  Miramar,  on  the  famous 
military  road  across  the  island,  and  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  choicest  in  the  entire  city. 

Methodism  has  now  $68,000  worth  of  property 
in  Porto  Rico.  This  consists  of  twenty-seven 
churches  and  chapels  and  five  parsonages.  The 
majority  of  the  missionaries  are  occupying 
rented  quarters,  and  this  is  a great  drain  on  the 
finances  of  the  mission.  Rents  are  exorbitant,  it 
being  necessary  to  pay  from  $30  to  $50  per 
month  for  a residence  of  very  ordinary  propor- 
tions. 

Aside  from  the  work  of  the  mission  proper, 
the  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  has  two 
institutions  in  San  Juan.  The  McKinley  Free 
Day  School  gathers  in  the  little  tots  from  the 
streets  and  cares  for  them  throughout  the  day. 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

This  work  is  of  the  nature  of  kindergarten  in- 
struction. Throughout  San  Juan,  in  the  dark 
patios  and  narrow  halls  one  may  hear  the  chil- 
dren singing  the  songs  which  they  have  learned. 
There  are  about  seventy-five  children  in  this 
school.  In  connection  with  this  work  the  princi- 
pal has  established  a training  school  for  young 
native  women.  There  are  twelve  young  women 
who  are  assisting  in  the  school  and  studying 
various  branches,  music  included,  and  after  a 
three-years’  course  they  will  be  able  to  return  to 
their  homes  and  establish  schools  of  their  own. 

At  Borinquen  Park  Place,  adjacent  to  San- 
turce,  is  located  the  George  O.  Robinson  Or- 
phanage for  girls.  This  beautiful  and  commo- 
dious building  was  made  possible  by  a liberal 
gift  from  Porto  Rico’s  warm  friend,  Judge 
George  0.  Robinson,  LL.D.,  of  Detroit,  Mich. 
The  orphanage  is  located  near  the  sea,  in  a de- 
lightful spot  surrounded  by  large  and  beautiful 
grounds.  There  are  here  about  fifty  girls  of 
ages  varying  from  five  to  sixteen  years.  It  is 
expected  to  fill  this  home  to  its  capacity  for 
100  girls  just  as  rapidly  as  great  care  in  looking 
into  the  respective  merits  of  the  many  applicants 
will  permit.  These  two  institutions  are  adjuncts 
to  the  work  of  the  mission. 

The  work  of  Methodism  in  Porto  Rico  is  in- 
deed in  its  infancy.  Vast  territories  are  still 
unoccupied  and  thousands  of  the  natives  have 
not  yet  heard  the  4 4 sweet  story  of  old.  ’ ’ 

It  will  doubtless  be  of  interest  to  friends  to 
know  what  a little  money  will  make  possible.  It 
is  sincerely  hoped  that  our  friends  in  the  Home- 


Porto  Rico 


land  approach  the  Throne  daily  in  behalf  of  our 
fields  and  the  laborers. 

One  Dollar  pays  for  a block  in  the  new  churches 
which  are  being  erected. 

Fifteen  Dollars  provides  a month’s  education  for 
100  children  who  have  never  known  a day  of 
school  privileges. 

Fifty  Dollars  gives  you  a boy  in  the  Boys’  Or- 
phanage and  Industrial  School  which  is  to  be 
built. 

One  Hundred  Dollars  erects  a village  chapel, 
which  serves  the  double  purpose  of  school  and 
church.  These  are  beautiful  memorials. 

One  Hundred  and  Eighty  Dollars  will  place  your 
own  substitute  in  the  field.  If  you  would  like 
to  send  yourself  to  the  front,  but  cannot  come, 
a native  missionary  may  thus  be  provided  to 
take  your  work  for  you. 

Seven  Hundred  and  Twenty  Dollars  will  send  an 
American  missionary  (single)  to  Porto  Rico. 
Five  missionaries  are  greatly  needed  at  once. 
These  are  transitional  days.  Evolution  and 
moral  revolution  are  working  in  every  direc- 
tion here.  Help  us. 

The  future  of  the  mission  is  brilliant,  and 
hopes  are  cherished  for  rapidly  expanding  facili- 
ties for  more  effective  work.  Some  funds  have 
already  been  secured  for  the  proposed  Boys’ 
Orphanage,  and  as  soon  as  it  become  a financial 
possibility,  the  work  will  be  begun.  This  train- 
ing of  the  boys  is  a problem  which  mightily  con- 
cerns our  future  success. 

Some  funds  are  already  available  for  a Rest 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

Home  for  the  missionaries  in  the  mountains, 
but  there  is  not  yet  a sufficient  amount  to  guar- 
antee the  beginning  of  the  enterprise.  The  lack 
of  a suitable  and  healthful  place  for  recupera- 
tion has  wrought  havoc  among  the  workers. 
Physical  collapse  comes  suddenly,  and  frequently 
without  any  warning,  and  to  flee  quickly  to  the 
woodlands  is  often  out  of  the  question.  Had 
some  such  provision  been  made  in  the  past,  lives 
would  have  been  spared  and  others  could  have 
continued  their  work  in  this  field. 

One  of  the  most  pressing  needs,  if  not  the 
most  urgent,  is  a training  school  for  native 
workers.  We  have  the  raw  material,  but  as  yet 
no  equipment  for  its  development.  Other  de- 
nominations have  established  their  own  training 
schools,  and  our  native  preachers  feel  the  great 
need  which  they  have  for  such  training  to  pre- 
pare them  for  their  important  work. 

The  possibilities  for  securing  proper  literature 
are  very  limited.  Printing  bills  are  very  heavy, 
and  the  only  means  we  have  for  the  publication 
of  papers  and  tracts  is  the  native  press.  A mis- 
sion press  would  save  hundreds  of  dollars  an- 
nually and  make  possible  a wide  extension  of 
the  Kingdom. 

Our  Presbyterian  friends  have  a well-equipped 
hospital  in  Santuree-by-the-Sea,  and  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  has  a large  hospital  in 
Ponce.  Dispensary  work  is  done  in  Mayaguez, 
but  the  southeastern  part  of  the  island  is  left 
without  any  provision  of  this  kind.  The  need 
of  a Methodist  hospital  in  this  section  is, 
indeed,  urgent. 


Porto  Eieo 


So  endeth  the  brief  account  of  Porto  Bicos 
evolution  from  a land  cursed  with  ignorance  and 
superstition  to  the  blessed  realities  of  Christian 
enlightenment.  Prejudice  and  ignorance  abound 
on  every  hand,  but  it  is  the  purpose  of  God’s 
messengers  in  this  field,  which  requires  so  much 
of  patience  and  faith,  to  exemplify  in  their  teach- 
ing and  lives  the  love  and  compassion  and  sym- 
pathy of  Him  who  hung  upon  the  cross  for  the 
sins  and  sorrows  of  the  whole  world,  and  thereby 
“compel”  Porto  Bieo  to  enter  into  the  “Great 
Supper”  which  awaits  her. 


HAWAII 


REV.  0.  Li.  PEARSON,  D.D.,  FORMERLY  SUPERIN- 
TENDENT OF  HAWAIIAN  MISSIONS 


The  Hawaiian  Islands  lie  just  within  the 
northern  tropics,  about  2,000  miles  southwest  of 
San  Francisco.  They  occupy  a central  position 
in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean.  Theirs  has  been  one 
of  the  most  isolated  positions  in  the  world. 
Changes  in  commercial  lines  have  brought  them 
into  prominence.  They  now  form  the  “ cross- 
roads ” of  the  Pacific,  being  in  the  track  of  ves- 
sels plying  between  the  Commonwealth  of  Aus- 
tralia and  San  Francisco  or  Vancouver,  and  be- 
tween San  Francisco  or  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
and  the  coast  of  Asia.  With  the  completion  of 
the  Isthmian  Canal  and  with  the  assured  growth 
of  commerce  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  their  strategic 
position  will  give  them  increasing  importance 
as  a commercial  center  and  as  the  resort  of  the 
shipping  of  this  great  ocean.  The  semi-tropical 
climate,  modified  by  the  northern  trade  winds; 
the  Japanese  current  returning  from  the  coast 
of  Alaska,  whose  waters  are  eight  or  ten  degrees 
cooler  than  those  of  the  same  latitude  else- 
where; the  beauty  of  the  abundant  foliage  and 
varying  landscape,  have  given  to  these  islands 
the  descriptive  title,  “The  Paradise  of  the  Pa- 
cific 5>;  the  peculiar  interest  awakened  by  the  vol- 
canic origin  of  the  islands  and  the  occasional 


Hawaii 


volcanic  activity  will  continue  to  attract  visitors 
and  residents  in  increasing  numbers.  Sugar  is 
the  main  product.  Rice  is  second,  with  tropical 
fruits  and  coffee  following.  Other  products  are 
being  developed.  The  Government,  through  its 
Agricultural  Department,  is  experimenting  on 
many  lines,  and  it  is  anticipated  that  a varied 
line  of  products,  such  as  spices,  rubber,  fruits, 
etc.,  will  soon  be  produced  in  commercial  quanti- 
ties, thus  making  possible  a larger  American 
population  and  a more  important  commerce. 

These  islands  have  long  been  the  scene  of 
heroic  missionary  effort,  and  because  of  their 
important  position,  which  gives  a meeting  place 
to  the  Orient  and  Occident,  will  continue  to  be 
of  great  importance  as  a field  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord.  Here  great  vic- 
tories have  been  won — victories  that  lend  encour- 
agement to  the  present  activities.  The  heroism 
of  Hiram  Bingham  and  Asa  Thurston,  their 
wives  and  associates,  perhaps  has  never  been 
surpassed.  Leaving  Boston  in  October,  1819, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  they  set  sail  for  the  far-off 
‘ 4 Sandwich  Islands”  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  not 
knowing  what  should  befall  them  there,  and  ex- 
pecting to  find  a barbarous  people  given  to 
human  sacrifice  and  cannibalism.  They  after- 
wards learned  that  though  the  Hawaiians  did 
offer  human  sacrifices,  they  were  never  cannibals. 
Great  changes  occurred  in  Hawaii  while  they 
were  on  their  more  than  five  months’  journey. 
The  great  King  Kamehameha  died  and  left  his 
son  Liholiho  to  reign.  His  two  queens,  Kapio- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


lani  and  Kaahumanu,  had  resolved  upon  the 
abolition  of  the  tabu  system  at  the  earliest 
opportunity.  The  tabu  was  a system  of  pro- 
hibitions that  reigned  over  the  entire  life  of 
the  people.  Its  cruelties  and  burdens  were  in- 
deed grievous.  For  example,  “it  was  death  for 
a common  man  to  remain  standing  at  the  men- 
tion of  the  King’s  name  in  song,  or  when  the 
King’s  food,  drinking  water  or  clothing  was  car- 
ried past,  to  enter  his  enclosure  without  his  per- 
mission or  even  to  cross  his  shadow  or  that  of 
his  house.  It  was  tabu  for  men  and  women  to 
eat  together  or  to  have  their  food  cooked  in  the 
same  oven.  It  was  tabu,  on  pain  of  death,  for 
women  to  enter  the  house  of  the  family  gods 
or  the  men’s  eating-house.  Several  of  the  best 
kinds  of  food  were  forbidden  women.  There 
were  many  occasions  when  no  canoe  could  be 
launched,  no  fire  lighted,  no  tapa  beaten  or  poi 
pounded,  and  no  sound  could  be  uttered  on  pain 
of  death ; when  even  the  dogs  had  to  be  muzzled, 
and  the  fowls  were  shut  up  in  calabashes  for 
twenty-four  hours  at  a time.  These  were  not 
merely  laws  but  religious  ordinances,  and  the 
violation  of  them  was  not  merely  a crime,  but  a 
sin,  which  would  bring  down  the  vengeance  of 
the  gods.”  The  breaking  of  the  tabu  was  a 
tragic  scene.  Kaahumanu  prevailed  on  Liholiho 
to  break  the  tabu  by  eating  with  women.  Ac- 
cordingly, at  a great  feast,  he  sat  down  with 
chiefs  of  both  sexes  and  openly  feasted  with 
them,  while  the  common  people  looked  on  with 
mingled  fear  and  curiosity,  expecting  dire  judg- 
ments to  suddenly  follow  such  violation  of  law. 


Hawaii 


But  nothing  serious  happened.  At  this  they 
raised  the  joyful  shout,  “The  tabu  is  at  an  end, 
the  gods  are  a lie.”  The  effect  was  marvelous. 
A religious  war  broke  out  immediately,  in  which 
the  reformers  prevailed.  They  broke  and  burned 
the  idols,  temples  were  destroyed  and  the  cus- 
toms and  ceremonies  of  religious  regulation  and 
worship  were  discarded  forever.  The  mission- 
aries arriving  a few  weeks  later  found  that  God 
had  prepared  their  way  in  a marvelous  manner, 
as  they  saw  “the  strange  spectacle  of  a nation 
without  a religion.”  In  these  favorable  con- 
ditions they  began  a work  which  met  with  suc- 
cess at  once.  They  soon  reduced  the  language 
to  writing  and  translated  portions  of  the  Scrip- 
tures and  other  books.  Industrial  and  other 
schools  were  opened,  some  of  which  continue 
unto  this  day.  A paper  established  in  that  early 
day  is  yet  being  published  in  Honolulu.  It  is 
the  oldest  paper  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
These  were  great  factors  in  the  elevation  of  the 
people.  Wonderful  revivals  followed  in  a few 
years,  in  which  many  thousands  of  the  people 
were  soundly  converted.  They  gave  the  masses 
a sure  uplift  from  their  terrible  state  of  bar- 
barism. 

In  the  course  of  a few  years  the  missionaries 
were  able  to  secure  an  established  government, 
having  humane  laws,  courts  of  justice,  schools 
and  other  institutions.  They  prevailed  on  the 
King,  in  the  year  1845,  to  divide  the  lands,  and 
give  to  his  subjects  title  to  their  holdings  and  to 
such  lands  as  they  might  desire  to  secure.  Prior 
to  this  the  people  had  owned  no  lands  and  their 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

right  to  property  of  any  kind  was  lightly  re- 
garded by  the  rulers,  chiefs  and  priests.  The 
raising  of  a barbarous  people  to  an  intelligent 
and  Christian  civilization,  the  opening  of  a com- 
merce that  returns  to  America  annually  many 
times  the  cost  of  missionary  enterprise,  is  due  to 
the  heroic  missionaries  who  have  labored  long 
and  faithfully  in  Hawaii.  All  honor  to  the 
Binghams,  Thurstons,  Coans,  Judds,  Gulicks, 
Lymans,  Baldwins  and  others  who  here  labored 
not  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

Roman  Catholic  priests  came  to  Hawaii  in  the 
year  1827  and  immediately  began  work  in  an 
humble  way.  They  soon  became  the  objects  of 
persecution,  which  led  to  their  banishment  in 
1832.  The  Hawaiians  did  not  understand  them. 
Since  the  war  of  1819  image  worship  had  been 
a grave  offense.  They  thought  they  saw  an  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  Catholics  to  re-establish  the 
old  or  introduce  a similar  religion.  The  French 
government  came  to  the  support  of  her  citizens, 
and  in  the  year  1839  secured  the  right  of  free 
worship  for  the  Catholic  Church  throughout  the 
islands,  and  also  a site  for  a church  in  Honolulu. 
Since  that  time  this  church  has  carried  on  its 
work  unmolested  and  has  had  good  success 
among  the  Hawaiians.  The  fame  of  their  labors 
at  the  Leper  Settlement,  on  the  island  of  Molokai, 
is  world-wide,  and  indeed  a notable  work  has 
been  and  is  being  done  by  them  among  these  un- 
fortunate people.  Here  a home  for  women  and 
girls  who  have  no  home,  endowed  by  Mr.  Charles 
R.  Bishop,  of  San  Francisco,  formerly  of 
Hawaii,  is  conducted  by  sisters  of  the  Catholic 


Hawaii 


Church,  and  a home  for  homeless  boys  and  men, 
endowed  by  Mr.  Henry  P.  Baldwin,  of  Honolulu, 
the  son  of  an  early  Protestant  missionary  family, 
is  cared  for  by  brothers  in  the  Catholic  Church. 
These  homes  are  homes,  schools  and  workshops 
combined.  There  is  a Catholic  church  at  each 
of  the  two  villages  in  the  Settlement.  The  Prot- 
estants have  maintained  work  here.  Hawaiian 
pastors  have  been  appointed  by  the  Hawaiian 
Evangelical  Association.  There  are  two  Prot- 
estant churches  and  a Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association.  The  ministrations  of  these  pastors 
to  people  of  their  own  blood  has  been  of  incal- 
culable benefit  and  should  not  be  overlooked. 
Laborers  in  the  Church  and  Government  service 
are  not  compelled  to  remain  in  the  Settlement, 
and  some,  after  years  of  splendid  service,  have 
removed  to  minister  elsewhere. 

The  Anglican  Church  established  a mission 
in  Hawaii  in  the  year  1859,  and  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  religious  work  among  the 
Hawaiians.  At  the  time  of  the  annexation  of 
Hawaii  (1898)  this  work  was  transferred  to  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  It  is  being  con- 
ducted with  commendable  zeal  and  with  good 
success.  The  Hawaiian  Evangelical  Association, 
successor,  in  Hawaii,  to  the  American  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  has  the  most  important  work 
among  Hawaiians.  Aside  from  their  fifty 
churches,  they  conduct  a number  of  excellent 
schools  which  are  attended  by  hundreds  of  Ha- 
waiian youths.  They  have  also  successful  mis- 
sions among  Chinese,  Japanese  and  Portuguese. 

The  California  Conference  of  our  Church  has 
Si g.  7 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


for  many  years  taken  a deep  interest  in  these 
islands.  In  the  year  1861  the  now  venerable  Dr. 
C.  V.  Anthony  was  sent  to  open  work  there. 
After  a few  months  of  investigation  and  experi- 
ment it  was  decided  to  postpone  our  efforts,  the 
opportunities  being  limited. 

In  more  recent  years  the  development  of  the 
sugar  industry  has  called  for  more  laborers,  and 
a numerous  and  varied  people  have  emigrated  to 
Hawaii.  Today  there  are  perhaps  70,000  Jap- 
anese, 20,000  Chinese,  15,000  Portuguese,  10,000 
Koreans  and  smaller  numbers  of  other  foreign 
people  residing  in  Hawaii.  The  coming  of  this 
heterogeneous  mass  of  humanity  put  a grave  re- 
sponsibility and  a heavy  burden  upon  the  relig- 
ious forces  of  Hawaii.  Our  own  Church  was 
again  called  to  Hawaii:  this  time  by  Japanese, 
who  having  been  converted  in  our  missions  in 
California,  returned  to  Hawaii  to  live.  The 
story  of  Brother  K.  Miyama  is  one  of  great 
interest.  Briefly  told,  he  was  soundly  converted 
in  our  mission  at  San  Francisco,  under  the  labors 
of  that  princely  man,  Otis  Gibson.  His  conver- 
sion brought  him  great  joy  and  gave  him  an  im- 
pulse to  tell  the  story  of  redemption.  Knowing 
the  condition  of  his  countrymen  in  Hawaii,  he 
took  passage  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  them.  On 
his  arrival  at  Honolulu  he  called  upon  the  Jap- 
anese consul,  Mr.  Taro  Ando,  to  whom  he  told 
his  story  so  fervently  that  it  led  to  Mr.  Ando’s 
conversion.  Then  followed  in  rapid  succession 
the  conversion  of  Mrs.  Ando,  the  attaches  of  the 
consulate  and  even  the  yard  boy.  This  gave  to 
the  Church  in  Japan  one  of  her  most  prominent 


Hawaii 


and  active  Christian  workers — Mr.  Taro  Ando. 
Brother  Miyama  visited  many  plantations,  where 
he  preached  with  great  power  and  success.  As 
a result  of  his  labors  a mission  was  established, 
which,  however,  was  later  given  to  the  Hawaiian 
Evangelical  Association.  A few  of  our  brethren, 
not  satisfied  with  this  arrangement,  banded 
themselves  together  and  held  4 < Methodist  ’ ’ ser- 
vices. Occasional  recruits  from  California  and 
from  their  own  efforts  united  with  them,  and 
thus  a nucleus  of  a new  work  was  established. 
Our  interests  were  joined  to  the  Japanese  work 
on  the  coast,  forming  the  Japanese  District  of 
the  California  Annual  Conference,  with  the  Rev. 
M.  C.  Harris,  now  Bishop  Harris,  Presiding 
Elder.  He  occasionally  visited  Hawaii,  always 
bringing  an  inspiration  by  his  cheery  faith  and 
his  remarkable  ability  to  stimulate  the  Japanese 
to  an  heroic  and  fruitful  service. 

The  Rev.  Hareourt  W.  Peck  was  appointed  to 
Honolulu  in  the  fall  of  1894.  He  immediately 
organized  a class  which  has  become  our  present 
English  church.  Pie  secured  a splendid  corner 
lot,  situated  on  one  of  the  finest  avenues  in  Plono- 
lulu,  on  which  was  a large  brick  house,  which  is 
now  used  as  a parsonage,  for  the  sum  of  $10,000, 
paying  on  the  same  $2,000.  A neat  chapel  cost- 
ing $5,000  was  erected  and  paid  for.  Brother 
Peck  remained  three  years  and  did  a faithful 
and  successful  work,  nourishing  the  growing 
Japanese  society  and  caring  for  the  English 
work.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  G.  L. 
Pearson,  also  of  the  California  Conference,  who 
in  addition  to  being  pastor  of  the  English  church 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

had,  under  Dr.  Harris,  supervision  of  the  Jap- 
anese work.  The  English  church  has  not  grown 
as  had  been  expected,  owing  to  the  transitory 
nature  of  the  English  population  during  the 
period  of  its  history.  It  has,  however,  been  an 
efficient  force  for  righteousness,  has  ministered 
to  thousands  and  has  been  of  special  aid  to  our 
work  among  foreign  people.  Its  record  of  good 
works  is  a noble  one.  The  debt  of  $8,000  has 
been  paid  and  approximately  $6,000  have  been 
raised  for  the  care  and  improvement  of  the 
property.  The  present  valuation  of  this  property 
is  $30,000. 

Meanwhile,  a notable  Japanese  preacher,  the 
Rev.  H.  Kihara,  now  at  the  head  of  our  Japa- 
nese work  in  Korea,  a product  of  our  mission  in 
San  Francisco,  arrived  in  Honolulu.  He  had  a 
rich  religious  experience,  was  a good  preacher, 
a flaming  evangelist  and  a born  leader.  Under 
him  the  work  took  a new  start.  It  was  conducted 
along  three  lines : direct  evangelistic  church 
work,  schools  and  temperance.  Many  hundreds 
of  Japanese  men  and  boys  were  soon  gathered 
into  our  temperance  bands.  Schools  were  opened 
for  children  where  they  could  be  taught  in  their 
own  language.  This  gave  us  the  opportunity  to 
secure  them  for  our  Sunday  schools.  It  also  ob- 
tained a kindly  interest  in  our  work  on  the  part 
of  their  parents.  Evening  schools  were  opened 
for  young  men,  which  were  attended  by  many, 
who  were  thus  brought  under  religious  influ- 
ences. They  readily  became  attendants  of  our 
churches  and  many  of  them  were  converted.  A 
notable  case  was  that  of  Agazawa,  who  came 


Hawaii 


from  Japan  to  Honolulu  to  conduct  his  father’s 
liquor  business.  After  a few  weeks  of  attend- 
ance upon  our  school  and  church  he  was 
brought  under  deep  conviction  of  sin,  and  later 
was  gloriously  saved.  Immediately  there  arose 
in  his  mind  the  question  of  dealing  in  liquor. 
There  was  attached  to  it  a question  that  could 
not  have  the  same  weight  with  an  American 
boy — disobedience  of  his  father’s  will.  Japanese 
boys  are  taught  and  are  expected  to  give  abso- 
lute obedience  to  their  father  while  he  lives,  and 
on  his  death  to  give  him  a reverence  and  venera- 
tion which  practically  amounts  to  worship.  The 
struggle  in  Agazawa’s  heart  between  his  old  in- 
struction and  filial  affection  and  his  new  experi- 
ence and  conviction  was  very  intense.  Grace  en- 
abled him  to  triumph.  He  wrote  his  father  that 
he  must  give  up  the  liquor  business  and  was 
immediately  ostracised.  The  church  took  this 
now  outcast  in  a strange  land,  under  its  special 
care.  After  a few  months  of  instruction  he  was 
licensed  an  exhorter  and  given  charge  of  one 
of  the  lately  organized  societies.  Here,  in  the 
spirit  of  Paul,  he  gave  himself  to  an  unstinted 
service,  bestowed  the  last  nickel  of  his  meager 
salary  upon  the  sick  and  needy,  and  in  every  way 
exemplified  that  heroic  devotion  which  is  born 
of  deep  religious  experience  and  true  loyalty  to 
the  Master.  This  brother  has  by  his  own  un- 
aided efforts  earned  his  living,  learned  the  Eng- 
lish language  and  graduated  from  one  of  our 
Church  universities.  He  is  today  a regular  and 
successful  minister  to  his  own  people.  Similar 
cases  abound.  Another  young  man  who  was 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


started  in  the  right  way  in  Hawaii,  under  the 
call  of  an  awakened  ambition  joined  a mission 
school  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  prepared  for 
entrance  to  the  University  of  California.  In 
seven  years  from  the  time  he  reached  San  Fran- 
cisco he  graduated  from  the  university — a law- 
yer— having  earned  his  own  living  and  learned 
the  English  language  meanwhile.  Such  products 
of  missionary  enterprise  alone  give  warrant  for 
this  work. 

Koreans  began  coming  to  Hawaii,  to  labor  in 
the  cane  fields  and  elsewhere,  in  the  year  1905. 
By  an  amicable  arrangement  with  the  Hawaiian 
Evangelical  Association  we  surrendered  to  them 
our  work,  lately  begun  among  Chinese,  and  took 
the  exclusive  care  of  the  Koreans.  These  people 
from  the  “Hermit  Nation  ” sorely  needed 
friends.  Timid,  superstitious,  mistrustful,  the 
result  of  misrule  and  oppression  in  their  home 
land,  strangers  in  a strange  land,  they  needed 
some  one  to  guide,  cheer  and  instruct  them. 
Many  times  has  the  writer  heard  the  light  steps 
of  Koreans  approaching  his  study  at  a late  hour 
of  the  night,  and  then  listened  as  they  told  in 
low,  suspicious  tones  their  story  of  fear  awak- 
ened by  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  some 
laborer  or  some  show  of  authority  on  the  part 
of  an  employer.  It  was  a matter  of  keen  pleas- 
ure to  be  able  to  assure  them  of  the  protection 
that  was  theirs  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and 
to  note  their  bolder  step  as  they  departed  to  give 
the  word  of  assurance  and  courage  to  others.  As 
their  numbers  increased  societies  were  organized 
at  the  several  plantations  where  they  labored. 


Hawaii 


The  few  exhorters  and  local  preachers  among 
them  greatly  aided  in  the  work.  Several  pastors 
were  secured  from  Korea.  The  regular  services 
of  the  Church  were  established.  A paper  having 
an  ambitious  name,  The  Korean  Christian  Advo- 
cate, was  published  and  circulated  freely  among 
them.  For  two  years  this  paper  was  laboriously 
printed  on  a mimeograph.  It  has  since  been  en- 
larged and  is  now  printed  by  a standard  press. 
By  this  medium  regular  Sunday-school  lessons 
were  published  and  instruction  in  social  and 
spiritual  life  was  given.  These  were  of  great 
profit  to  them. 

These  people  by  simple  faith  and  open- 
heartedness readily  received  the  Gospel ; and 
the  Gospel  finding  in  them  the  same  need  that 
it  finds  in  others,  works  its  same  blessed  results. 
Mankind  is  strikingly  of  one  pattern  after  all. 
The  writer  was  once  accosted  by  an  elderly 
Korean  woman  who  said,  “Pi  Moksa” — Pastor 
Pearson — “you  are  different  from  me,  you  were 
brought  up  in  a Christian  land,  you  had  a good 
home,  good  schools,  good  churches,  good  gov- 
ernment. You  were  greatly  blessed  in  these 
things.  Your  instructions  and  associations  gave 
you  a large  and  happy  life.  I had  none  of  these 
things.  I was  born  and  grew  up  in  a small  hut ; 
had  no  schooling;  wras  taught  that  evil  spirits 
were  everywhere,  in  house  and  tree,  in  wind  and 
stream.  I learned  to  fear  the  gods — I had  no 
hope.  Yet,  Pi  Moksa,  we  are  just  alike.  We 
have  the  same  heartache,  the  same  knowledge  of 
sin,  the  same  sense  of  guilt,  the  same  dread  of 
death,  the  same  mystery  of  life  and  the  same 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


longing  for  a better  land.”  I clasped  her  hand 
and  said,  “Yes,  sister,  we  are  just  alike,  'for  God 
made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men/  and  the 
Gospel  of  our  Lord  brings  us  all  into  one  peace- 
ful, hopeful  brotherhood.”  The  hymn  most 
frequently  sung  in  their  meetings  is  the  one  be- 
ginning “Oh,  Happy  Day.”  There  is  a rich 
simplicity  in  their  class-meeting  testimonies  that 
is  most  enjoyable.  It  shows  the  working  of 
Divine  grace  in  the  common  details  of  experi- 
ence and  character.  The  writer  noted  his  great 
surprise  at  finding  so  rich  and  full  a religious 
life  in  those  who  were  so  limited  in  knowledge 
and  experience.  It  is  often  asked,  ‘ ‘ How  can  an 
illiterate  and  superstitious  people  grasp  the 
great  principles  of  the  Gospel  and  profit  by 
them?”  Such  inquirers  overlook  the  simplicity 
of  the  Gospel  method  and  the  great  fact  that  God 
has  written,  at  least  in  outline,  His  laws  on  every 
man’s  heart,  and  also  how  easily  the  Gospel  can 
be  applied  to  the  elements  that  inhere  in  human 
nature.  Dr.  Wadman  tells  an  incident  that  oc- 
curred in  Hawaii  which  illustrates  the  rapid 
work  of  God ’s  spirit  and  truth  on  common  hearts 
and  minds.  He  was  about  to  administer  the 
Holy  Sacrament  to  a small  company  of  Koreans, 
when  Brother  Kim,  a recent  convert,  said  to  him, 
“Jesus  had  twelve  disciples  and  one  of  them 
was  a devil.”  Dr.  Wadman  asked  him  what  he 
meant.  Kim  repeated  his  statement,  and  added, 
“I  am  the  devil. ’ 9 He  then  told  how  he  and  his 
wife  had  been  struggling  to  save  a little  money 
to  take  them  back  to  Korea  and  to  start  them 
in  a little  business  there.  But  expenses  were 


Hawaii 


great  and  profits  meager.  His  wife  had  sug- 
gested that  while  he  worked  in  the  field 
she  would  keep  a few  articles,  including 
liquors,  for  sale.  He  finally  consented  to  this. 
As  the  weeks  passed  their  money  increased,  but 
with  it  his  happiness  decreased.  He  became  ex- 
tremely unhappy  and  dissatisfied.  His  sense  of 
guilt  for  wrongdoing  grew  upon  him.  He 
thought  himself  a hypocrite  and  unworthy  to 
partake  of  the  Sacrament.  Afterward  Dr.  Wad- 
man  visited  his  home  and  talked  the  matter  over 
with  him  and  his  wife.  At  first  she  greatly  re- 
sented his  appeal,  but  after  conversation  and 
prayer  there  was  heard  the  clinking  of  the  bot- 
tles as  they  were  gathered  from  the  shelves  and 
a crash  as  they  were  shattered  on  the  rocks  out- 
side the  cabin.  Kim’s  happiness  was  restored 
and  peace  reigned  in  the  home.  The  Koreans 
excel  all  others  of  whom  the  writer  has  knowl- 
edge in  the  simplicity  of  their  experience  and 
their  zeal  in  spreading  the  Gospel  by  their  testi- 
mony and  works.  In  this  they  follow  the  early 
Methodists.  They  feed  upon  the  Word  and 
nourish  themselves  in  the  use  of  spiritual  songs. 
Every  Christian  Korean  desires  to  own  a Bible 
and  a hymn  book;  as  a result  our  classes  grow 
in  number  and  in  membership. 

In  the  year  1900  the  work  in  Hawaii  and  the 
Japanese  work  on  the  Pacific  Coast  were  organ- 
ized into  a mission.  Dr.  Harris  was  appointed 
Superintendent  and  G.  L.  Pearson  was  made 
Presiding  Elder  of  Plawaii  District.  The  work 
in  Hawaii  had  so  developed  by  1904  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  organize  the  work  in  Hawaii 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


into  a mission.  Accordingly,  and  agreeably  to 
the  action  of  the  General  Conference  of  1904,  the 
Hawaii  Mission  was  established  by  Bishop  Lu- 
ther B.  Wilson  in  September,  1904,  and  the  Rev. 
John  W.  Wadman  was  appointed  Superintend- 
ent. Dr.  Wadman  having  had  sixteen  years’ 
experience  as  a missionary  in  Japan,  which  gave 
him  a splendid  knowledge  of  the  Oriental  people, 
and  being  a man  of  good  religious  experience, 
deep  sympathies,  of  good  health  and  abounding 
energy,  is  eminently  fitted  for  this  important 
field.  His  administration  has  been  most  satis- 
factory. 

No  record  of  our  mission  in  Hawaii  would  be 
complete  without  reference  to  the  work  of  the 
Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society.  In  the 
earlier  years  of  our  work  this  Society  contrib- 
uted to  the  support  of  Japanese  Bible  Women. 
Later,  under  the  immediate  care  of  Miss  Libbie 
J.  Blois,  a Home  for  needy  women  and  children 
was  opened.  Miss  Dora  Jayne  succeeded  Miss 
Blois.  A fine  property  has  lately  been  secured, 
largely  by  the  direction  and  help  of  Bishop  and 
Mrs.  Hamilton.  Mrs.  Metta  Marks  is  in  charge. 
Miss  Almira  Dean  is  also  a missionary  to  the 
Japanese.  This  Home  has  been  an  untold 
blessing  to  numbers  of  Japanese  and  Korean 
women  and  children.  The  abounding  labors  of 
these  workers  in  their  ministration  to  the  peo- 
ple and  their  aid  in  our  church  services  has  been 
of  great  value  to  our  cause.  The  work  of  this 
Society  is  under  the  immediate  direction  of  a 
cpmmittee  of  elect  women  in  California,  of  whic|i 


Hawaii 


Mrs.  Bishop  Hamilton  is  secretary  and  Mrs. 
C.  B.  Perkins  is  treasurer. 

The  statistics  of  our  mission  show  gratifying 
results.  The  churches  and  parsonages  are  val- 
ued at  $57,000,  on  which  there  is  no  indebted- 
ness.^ The  Korean  school  property,  which  was 
secured  by  the  wisely  directed  efforts  of  Bishop 
Hamilton,  is  valued  at  $20,000,  and  the  Susannah 
Wesley  Home  property  of  the  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society  is  held  at  the  conservative 
valuation  of  $8,000.  There  are  more  than  fif- 
teen hundred  members  in  the  twenty-eight  Sun- 
day schools,  and  a thousand  members  and  pro- 
bationers in  our  churches.  These  people  out  of 
their  poverty  contribute  nearly  $500  a year  to 
our  Benevolences,  aside  from  their  contributions 
towards  self-support.  Forty-four  pastors,  teach- 
ers and  helpers  are  now  required  to  man  the 
field,  and  the  work  grows  apace. 

Cold  statistics,  however,  do  not  tell  the  story. 
It  cannot  be  fully  written.  The  inspiration  that 
comes  to  these  foreign  people  by  their  contact 
with  western  civilization  and  Christian  charac- 
ter and  works,  gives  them  a marvelous  impetus 
towards  a higher  standard  of  living.  There  is 
a steady  stream  of  Japanese  and  Koreans  return- 
ing from  Hawaii  to  the  home  land,  among  them 
many  who  have  come  under  our  instruction  and 
have  been  converted  at  our  altars. 

Ogata,  a convert  of  our  Church  in  Honolulu, 
returning  to  Japan,  found  no  Christian  church 
in  his  old  home.  His  heart  grew  weary  from  his 
great  desire  for  his  accustomed  services,  and  he 
longed  to  have  the  blessed  Gospel  preached  to  his 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


own  people.  Being  in  possession  of  about  four 
hundred  yen  ($200),  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
building  a house  of  worship.  Agreeably,  he 
purchased  a lot  and  with  his  own  hands  and 
money  built  a church  thereon.  Like  the  woman 
in  Scripture  story,  he  gave  his  4 4 living  ” — his 
all — to  the  enterprise.  It  was  the  happiest  day 
of  his  life  when  the  missionary  came,  dedicated 
the  house  to  the  worship  of  God  and  began  ser- 
vices therein.  Few  in  any  land  have  the  same 
degree  of  enthusiasm  and  love  for  the  Master 
as  Ogata  had.  Yet  Chinese,  Japanese  and  Ko- 
reans are  returning  home  having  a new  outlook 
on  life,  a new  preparation  for  living,  a new  faith 
in  God  and  new  love  for  the  brotherhood  of 
man  that  make  them  important  factors  in  the 
material,  moral  and  religious  reformation  of 
their  own  people — the  one-third  of  the  world’s 
population. 

Not  only  for  its  reflex  action  on  the  foreign 
shore  should  this  work  be  carried  on,  but  also 
and  specially  from  an  American  standpoint,  be- 
cause the  children  of  these  foreign  people  born 
in  Hawaii,  have  the  right  to  claim  American  citi- 
zenship. Many  of  them  have  already  and  doubt- 
less thousands  more  will  claim  it.  "We  must  edu- 
cate and  Christianize  them,  that  they  may  be- 
come good  citizens  to  whom  may  be  safely  en- 
trusted a share  of  the  grave  responsibility  that 
rests  upon  Americans.  Above  these  considera- 
tions there  remains  the  fact  they  are  our  breth- 
ren, for  whom  Christ  our  Redeemer  died.  Stran- 
gers in  our  land,  they  need  our  shepherding.  W"e 


Hawaii 


are  their  debtors.  We  should  improve  the  op- 
portunity God  has  given  to  us. 

Hawaii,  by  virtue  of  her  foreign  population, 
which  predominates  in  numbers,  whose  children 
may  claim  American  citizenship,  needs  in  an  in- 
creasing degree  the  aid  of  our  Home  Missionary 
Society.  Here  is  presented  to  the  Church  a 
splendid  opportunity  to  Christianize  a foreign 
people.  Separated  from  old  restraints  and  feel- 
ing the  awakening  power  of  western  civilization, 
they  are  more  accessible  and  more  easily  inter- 
ested in  the  Gospel  and  developed  in  its  experi- 
ence. The  fine  success  of  the  few  years  of  our 
labors  in  the  property  secured,  the  churches  es- 
tablished, the  youths  educated,  the  influence  on 
American  citizenship  and  the  beneficent  effects 
reaching  a foreign  shore,  warrant  a substantial 
support  of  the  work. 

God  bless  Hawaii!  Bless  her  towering  hills 
and  beautiful  valleys,  her  civil  institutions,  her 
many  worthy  citizens  who  love  her  cause,  her 
noble  sons  and  daughters  and  the  multitude  of 
eager  strangers  within  her  gates. 


THE  WEST— METHODISM’S 
PROMISED  LAND 


CHRISTIAN  F.  REISNER,  PASTOR  GRACE  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  DENVER,  COL. 


The  centurion  seeking  healing  for  his  servant, 
found  approval  from  bystanding  Jews,  who 
demonstrated  that  he  loved  the  nation  by  de- 
claring “He  hath  built  us  a synagogue”  (Luke, 
vii,  5).  This  was  and  is  full  proof  of  patriotism. 
An  irreligious  and  churchless  community  or 
country  will  certainly  go  to  pieces.  The  found- 
ers of  Liberty,  Mo.,  at  first  determined  to  prove 
that  their  infidel  views  would  give  basis  and  suc- 
cess to  a great  city.  But  they  admitted  defeat 
and  sent  for  a Christian  minister  to  found  a 
church. 

The  slogan  of  patriotism  is  a good  one  for 
Home  Missions.  It  was  a fearless  Home  Mission- 
ary, Marcus  Whitman,  who  kept  the  United 
States  from  signing  away  Oregon  and  the  great 
Northwest  to  another  nation. 

The  Christian  colleges  in  Home  Mission  terri- 
tory sent  thousands  of  students  into  Abraham 
Lincoln ’s  Nation-preserving  armies.  Oberlin 
College  alone  sent  850  in  four  years,  and  Beloit 
400  out  of  the  800  that  enrolled  during  the  time. 
A careful  compilation  showed  that  the  Home 
Mission  churches  in  the  West  “had  sent  into  the 
army  one  in  four  of  their  entire  male  member- 
ship, including  in  the  count  old  men,  invalids 


The  West- — Methodism  ?s  Promised  Land 


and  boys.”  Kansas  was  saved  as  “free  soil” 
by  Home  Missionaries  and  their  organizations 
radiating  out  from  Lawrence,  where  the  oldest 
church  in  the  State  still  thrives,  pastored  for 
nearly  fifty  years  by  Richard  Cordley.  James 
Shaw,  a Methodist  itinerant  whose  great  grand- 
son has  just  entered  the  ministry  from  Baker 
University,  dared  to  preach  in  pro-slavery 
Atchison,  while  my  father’s  hotel  sheltered 
freely  every  Methodist  preacher  from  Bishop 
Simpson  down,  until  the  “Bushwhackers”  put 
a rope  around  his  neck  to  punish  him  for  shield- 
ing the  “nigger  lovers.” 

All  good  hearts  beat  in  high  joy  over  the  rout- 
ing of  the  saloon  forces  in  new  and  highly  des- 
tined Oklahoma.  Home  Mission  churches  and 
their  members  made  the  victory  possible.  Kan- 
sas long  ago  declared  the  saloonist  a criminal 
and  now  supports  its  Methodist  Governor  in  law 
enforcement,  because  our  Church  alone  has 
110,000  members.  A Methodist  Home  Mission- 
ary founded  the  State  Agricultural  College.  A 
Congregational  Home  Missionary  started  the 
State  Normal,  with  now  over  3,000  students,  and 
a Methodist  preacher  as  president;  and  another 
Home  Missionary  started  the  State  University. 
Less  than  100  of  the  Methodist  churches  in  the 
State  were  built  without  Church  Extension  aid, 
and  $195,500  of  Home  Mission  money  had  been 
put  into  the  State  up  to  1906. 

A Home  Missionary,  Rev.  J.  A.  Ward,  framed 
the  Dakota  prohibition  law  and  carried  it  to  vic- 
tory. His  sister,  Mrs.  Sheldon,  the  wife  of  a 
Home  Missionary,  gave  him  valuable  aid,  and 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

also  reared  a son,  Rev.  C.  M.  Sheldon,  of  Topeka, 
to  write  “What  Would  Jesus  Do?”  and  go 
everywhere,  even  to  England,  to  strengthen  the 
advance  of  prohibition. 

Other  great  Western  States  are  setting  high 
moral  standards.  Home  Missionaries  were  early 
on  the  ground  and  gave  the  right  keynote.  Bur- 
ton G-.  Cartwright  plowed  and  as  a Home  Mis- 
sionary organized  the  first  church,  a Methodist, 
in  Iowa,  at  Burlington,  in  1835,  and  the  second 
was  a Methodist  class  at  Dubuque.  When  the 
Congregational  Home  Missionary  arrived  in 
Omaha,  hoping  to  be  the  first  in  Nebraska,  he 
found  a Methodist  class  of  six.  The  first  de- 
nomination in  Colorado  was  the  Methodist  at 
Central  City  (this  charge  this  year  gave  $3 
a member  for  missions),  and  the  second  was  the 
same  clan  at  Black  Hawk;  the  Congregational- 
ists  arriving  the  next  year.  The  Methodists 
were  never  far  behind.  Among  the  first  four 
in  Minnesota  was  a Methodist.  Among  the  first 
five  in  California,  organized  before  midsummer 
of  ?49,  wras  a Methodist.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
the  salt  of  the  Gospel  in  these  new  communities, 
destructive  decay  wrould  have  early  set  in. 

The  Home  Missionaries  at  once  prepared  for 
future  Christian  leadership,  and  so  they  organ- 
ized Christian  colleges.  Yve  hear  much  of  secu- 
lar education,  but  this  is  a misnomer.  Secular 
drill  alone  never  completely  educates.  There  are 
no  great  schools  in  non-Christian  lands.  Of  the 
first  119  colleges  in  this  country,  104  were 
Christian  schools.  Of  the  415  colleges  in  the 
United  States  in  1890 , 316,  or  seven-ninths,  he- 


The  West — Methodism’s  Promised  Land 


longed  to  Christian  denominations.  From  Har- 
vard on,  organized  by  eleven  ministers,  nearly 
all  the  universities,  including  even  the  State  in- 
stitutions, were  started  by  Christian  mission- 
aries. These  colleges  have  trained  the  great 
leaders  of  the  West,  such  as  Speaker  Henderson, 
Senator  Beveridge,  ex-Governor  and  ex-Secre- 
tary  Shaw,  Governors  Mickey,  Deneen  and  Buch- 
tel,  all  graduates  of  western  Methodist  colleges. 
Vice-President  Fairbanks,  a Methodist  college 
graduate,  said  at  a Baker  commencement 
(founded  by  a Kansas  Methodist  Home  Mission- 
ary in  1858,  and  having  Congressmen  and 
church  leaders  among  its  alumni),  “It  is  in 
such  institutions  as  this  that  the  best  womanhood 
and  manhood  of  the  country  are  prepared  for 
their  future  work.” 

The  Church  itself  is  not  recruited  in  the  East. 
Dr.  Clark  says  that  25  percent  of  all  the  foreign 
missionaries  have  come  from  Home  Mission  soil. 
Kansas  gave  nine  to  the  Methodist  Church  in 
one  year  recently.  Austin  Phelps  once  said,  ‘ 4 If 
I were  a missionary  in  Canton,  China,  my  first 
prayer  every  morning  would  be  for  the  success 
of  American  Home  Missions  for  the  sake  of 
Canton,  China.”  In  ten  years,  from  1896  to 
1906,  the  four  Kansas  conferences  quadrupled 
their  missionary  offerings,  going  from  $20,000 
to  $85,000. 

In  1883,  when  much  of  the  West  was  mission 
country  on  a map,  “2,000  towns  are  indicated 
where  graduates  of  ten  western  colleges  and 
three  western  theological  seminaries  were  serv- 
ing as  Home  Missionary  pastors  under  the  Amer- 

Sig.  8 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

ican  Home  Missionary  Society.  In  1,000  other 
towns  the  graduates  of  these  institutions  were 
serving  under  other  societies,  and  not  less  than 

30.000  students  from  the  same  colleges  had  been 
employed  as  teachers  in  15,000  towns  of  the 
West.” 

Surely  the  western  recipient's  gratitude  takes 
a practical  channel.  But  the  financial  returns 
to  the  Church  are  marvelous.  In  a great  de- 
nomination raising  $1,000,000  for  Home  Mis- 
sions, one-half  the  amount  came  from  churches 
which  now  are  or  have  been  Home  Missionary 
enterprises.  In  twenty-five  years  this  sort  of 
churches  have  contributed  more  than  ‘ ‘ the  en- 
tire century  of  Home  Missionary  endeavor  has 
cost  to  that  denomination.  ' ' If  the  perpetuity  of 
the  country  depends  upon  the  strength  and 
growth  of  the  Christian  Church,  then  Home  Mis- 
sions should  command  our  mind  and  money. 

When  the  Louisiana  purchase  was  made,  the 
whole  territory  thus  acquired  had  but  522 
churches.  Now  there  are  7,000  Methodist 
churches  in  this  western  region,  and  all  but 

1.000  were  helped  by  the  Board  of  Church  Ex- 
tension. Congregationalists  credit  four-fifths 
of  their  churches  to  Home  Missions;  Presby- 
terians, nine-tenths ; and  Baptist,  Methodist 
and  Episcopal  estimates  range  from  five-sixths  to 
nine-tenths. 

Even  St.  Louis  had  its  first  missionary  less 
than  100  years  ago,  i.  e.,  in  1814.  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  Colorado  and  other  western  States 
have  not  yet  laid  away  the  tired  bodies  of  all 
of  God's  Church  foundation-stone  layers.  Some 


The  West — Methodism’s  Promised  Land 


of  them  are  compelled  to  live  on  a stinted  stipend 
doled  out  to  conference  claimants.  Twenty  mil- 
lion dollars  has  been  spent  for  Home  Missions  by 
our  Church.  Many  of  us  have  been  the  enriched 
beneficiaries.  Our  fathers  by  toil  and  prayer 
and  sacrificial  giving  planted  the  trees  whose 
fruit  we  enjoy.  If  the  regions  beyond  call,  shall 
we  not  do  as  well?  Patriotism  commands  us; 
Christ  and  His  Church  can  alone  keep  and  build 
new  and  struggling  communities  truly  Amer- 
ican. Gratitude  and  brotherliness  will  not  let 
us  rest  until  we  have  done  our  best.  God’s  joy 
cannot  sun  and  sweeten  and  feed  our  lives  if 
we  close  our  “bowels  of  compassion”  against 
the  needy  and  refuse  to  at  least  give  that  which 
“costs”  us  something  to  show  our  love  to  Him. 

Is  the  way  open  for  large  results  for  present 
investments?  Just  ponder  a few  appended  facts 
and  it  will  not  need  a miracle  to  see  whitened 
harvest  fields  and  the  fallow  seed-demanding 
soil. 

The  foreign  problem  will  doubtless  command 
other  treatment,  but  the  West  has  a growing 
new  opportunity  facing  it.  Colorado  has  4,000 
Japanese,  5,000  Italians  and  8,000  Russians.  In 
fact,  the  Denver  District  Presiding  Eider,  Dr. 
Warner,  found  that  48  percent  of  Denver’s 
population  were  either  foreign  born  or  of  for- 
eign-born parentage.  Three-elevenths  of  the 
city’s  population  belong  to  these  needy  classes, 
such  as  Russians,  Bohemians,  Poles,  Austrians, 
etc.  Chicago  also  has  76,9  percent,  and  Milwau- 
kee, the  heaviest,  has  82.7  percent.  Dr.  F.  C. 
Beattie  declares  that  for  sixty  years,  up  to  1880, 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


10,000,000  immigrants,  largely  English-speaking 
and  Protestant,  came  to  our  shores,  but  since 
then,  in  twenty-five  years,  13,000,000,  largely 
of  foreign  speech  and  Catholics,  have  arrived. 
Prof.  Edward  A.  Steiner  (“On  the  Trail  of 
the  Immigrant  ’ ’ ) says  that  80  percent  of  the 
immigrants  are  Roman  and  Greek  Catholic,  and 
Greek  Orthodox.  He  found  that  two-thirds  of 
the  100,000  Bohemians  in  Chicago  were  claiming 
to  be  infidels  and  studying  Paine  and  Ingersoll, 
even  to  teaching  their  writings  in  Sunday  schools 
with  from  30  to  3,000  in  attendance.  On  investi- 
gation he  found  that  the  Catholic  Church  and 
Christianity  to  them  were  synonyms.  Less  than 
one  percent  of  the  people  were  reached  by  the 
Protestant  missions.  Hence  foreign  church  op- 
pression was  charged  against  the  whole  of 
Christianity  because  they  saw  or  knew  no  other 
form.  Professor  Steiner  further  declares  that 
the  public  schools  convey  the  impression  that  the 
old  faith  is  foolishness,  and  this  results,  alas  too 
often,  in  no  faith.  This  is  because  of  their 
limited  religious  instruction.  Again,  he  says 
that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  in  holding 
them  to  its  communion,  preserves  their  language 
and  forms  and  so  keeps  the  American  spirit  away 
from  them,  and  they  thus  hold  their  national 
distinctions.  Thus,  to  amalgamate  them,  we 
must  pry  open  their  eyes  and  hearts  with  the 
truth  in  Christ.  We  must  give  them  a vision  of 
character  beauty  and  of  free  choice  religion. 

How  is  this  problem  related  to  the  West? 
The  great  mass  in  eastern  cities  cannot  be  easily 
affected.  Home  Missionaries  must  be  set  to  work 


The  West — Methodism’s  Promised  Land 


on  the  smaller  groups  in  the  West.  Northern 
Avenue  Methodist  Church,  Pueblo,  has  just  been 
aided  to  secure  a Japanese  as  assistant  pastor  to 
work  among  his  own  people.  Seattle  has  5,000 
Japs.  Buddhist  missionaries  are  now  coming 
over  from  Japan. 

Astoria,  Ore.,  has  a settlement  of  5,000  Finns. 
The  English  pastor  is  holding  a Friday  night 
Bible  class  which  150  attend.  He  is  confident 
that  a native  could  soon  have  a strong  church. 
Only  one  church,  Lutheran,  and  that  without  a 
pastor  for  a year,  is  located  in  their  midst. 

Professor  Steiner  tells  of  a group  of  Poles  and 
Slovaks,  known  at  home  as  thieves,  who  are 
located  among  Christian  Americans  and  have 
become  thoroughly  honest.  He  tells  of  a Jew 
speaking  after  an  appreciative  address  by  a 
mayor,  as  follows:  “Whenever  I hear  a Chris- 
tian speak  of  Israel  as  this  man  has  spoken,  I 
feel  like  saying,  ‘Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to 
be  a Christian.’  ” If  we  can  treat  the  few  near 
us  kindly,  if  we  can  win  one  or  two  to  Christ, 
if  we  can  put  native  workers  among  them  in  the 
smaller  companies  of  the  West,  who  can  tell  the 
harvest  ? They  will,  through  relatives  and 
friends,  permeate  the  larger  masses  in  the  East, 
and  in  the  home-land. 

What  splendid  men,  like  Senator  Knute  Nel- 
son and  Governor  Johnson,  have  come  from  our 
Scandinavian  immigrants  in  Minnesota.  Of  two 
men  teaching  Hebrew  in  our  best  theological 
seminaries,  one  is  German  born,  the  other  is  the 
son  of  a Norwegian  Methodist  preacher.  The 
German  immigrants  who  helped  colonize  Penn- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

sylvania  made  the  first  protest  to  the  Quakers 
against  slavery.  Once  the  Irish  were  section 
“hands,”  spurningly  passed  by — now  they  have 
moved  on  to  be  policemen,  professional  men  and 
mechanics.  They  have  ceased  to  be  mere 
“hands”  and  become  men.  Who  knows  what 
our  western  railroad-building  Poles  and  huckster 
Italians  may  become  ? 

The  way  is  open  in  our  present  new  western 
land  for  an  indescribable  amount  of  pioneer 
work. 

Strong,  faithful  and  well  furnished  church 
workers  come  West  and  forget  the  old  ways  un- 
der new  surroundings  and  customs.  They  easily 
get  out  of  the  habit  of  church  attendance.  The 
old  hunger  is  never  completely  lost.  Ambition, 
driving  them  to  heavy  work,  and  sometimes 
shady  dealings,  keep  them,  together  with  care- 
lessness, and  that  old  undefinable  fear  or  back- 
wardness that  Satan  implants,  away  from 
church,  if  there  is  any  to  attend.  If  met  and 
touched  personally,  they  respond'  and  put  on 
again  the  working  harness.  Dr.  Banks  took  in 
1,000  into  Trinity  Church  in  one  year  without  a 
special  revival  meeting.  If  given  a church  in  the 
mountains,  mines  and  settlements,  they  will  do 
the  same.  People  come  from  everywhere  and 
must  be  amalgamated.  In  one  Sunday  evening 
service  at  Grace  Church,  we  had  32  States  and  8 
foreign  countries  represented.  If  the  Church 
does  not  make  friends  for  them,  the  saloon  will. 

There  is  plenty  of  room  out  West.  If  Oregon 
was  filled  up  as  New  York  is,  15,748,920  people 
could  be  given  homes,  while  New  York  has  only 


The  West — Methodism's  Promised  Land 

8,066,672;  the  State  is  larger  than  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania  combined.  Texas,  California, 
Montana,  Nevada  and  Colorado,  in  the  order 
named,  are  the  largest  States  in  the  Union.  What 
vrould  result  if  they  were  thus  filled  up? 

And  they  are  being  made  habitable.  Wyoming 
has  10,000,000  acres  for  sale  at  fifty  cents  an 
acre.  The  Government  is  putting  in  reservoirs 
and  watering  this  land,  charging  only  enough  to 
repay, the  expenditure.  And  the  sandy  plains  then 
produce  so  that  it  is  worth  from  $100  to  $1,000 
an  acre.  The  Roosevelt  Reservoir  in  Arizona, 
costing  $3,000,000,  and  higher  than  Niagara,  will 
soon  be  completed  and  furnish  electric  power 
and  water  for  thousands  of  acres.  The  St. 
Mary's  Canal  in  Montana  will  water  350,000 
acres. 

Returns  such  as  rainfalls  cannot  bring,  result. 
Grand  Junction,  Col.,  with  irrigation  had  a 
fruit  crop  this  year  that  will  clear  thousands  of 
dollars,  when  cold  nipped  orchards  in  other  sec- 
tions, simply  because  its  mountain-guarding 
walls  shut  out  the  frost.  Ten  acres  of  bearing 
orchard  is  equal  to  640  acres  of  wheat  land. 
Dry  farming  raises  over  twenty  bushels  of  wheat 
to  the  acre.  This  is  peopling  vast  regions,  be- 
fore absolutely  only  tenanted  by  prairie  dogs. 

Railroads  are  seizing  these  signs  as  golden  and 
building  across  so-called  semi-arid  States  and 
into  hitherto  inaccessible  valleys.  The  Moffat 
road  will  cut  a tunnel  nine  and  one-half  miles 
long  to  get  under  the  mountains  to  Salt  Lake. 
Five  lines  are  preparing  to  cross  Montana.  In 
five  years  the  Northern  Pacific  and  Great  North- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

ern  have  doubled  their  capacity  and  business. 
The  latter  road  has  recently  created  sixty-nine 
new  towns  by  new  branches,  all  prospering  and 
ready  for  the  new  churches. 

Will  the  Church  wake  up  to  her  opportunity? 
Is  the  hero  spirit  dead  ? The  Presiding  Elder  of 
the  Republic  District  in  the  Columbia  River  Con- 
ference, Washington,  has  a district  covering 
30,000  square  miles,  or  more  than  one-third  as 
large  as  all  Kansas.  To  make  his  rounds  he 
must  use  stage,  steamboat,  saddle  horse,  steam 
and  electric  cars  and  go  afoot.  A Baptist  mis- 
sionary in  this  country  wrote:  4 ‘ Twice  I have 
been  caught  by  snow  storms  when  twenty  miles 
from  home,  with  no  othe‘r  conveyance  than  a 
bicycle.  Two  weeks  ago  I had  the  pleasure  of 
wading  over  an  eighth  of  a mile  knee-deep  in 
ice  water.’ ’ Dr.  Phifer,  a Colorado  Presiding 
Elder,  must  travel  1,000  miles  to  reach  his  Route 
Co.,  500  of  it  by  stage.  The  pastor  at  South 
Park,  Col.,  has  10,000  square  miles  in  his  circuit. 
The  first  church  opened  in  Wyoming  with  19 
members.  The  nearest  church  on  the  west  was 
1,200  miles,  on  the  east  400,  and  on  the  north 
2,300.  In  Cheyenne,  the  pastor  found  a popula- 
tion of  5,000,  and  of  the  80  deaths  during  the 
year,  70  were  from  stabs,  pistol  wounds,  etc.  Of 
course,  this  w^as  in  earlier  days. 

Dr.  Phifer  said  in  his  report  that  15  new  ap- 
pointments ought  to  be  opened  in  Route  Co.  He 
has  opened  41  new  ones  in  eight  years.  His 
usual  plan  is  to  buy  a horse  and  give  a single 
man  $1  a day  to  ‘ ‘ missionate  ” and  feed  himself 
and  horse  with.  Pie  always  has  more  men  than 


The  West — Methodism's  Promised  Land 

money  for  this  sort  of  work.  The  Home  Mission- 
ary Committee  of  the  Colorado  Conference  said 
in  its  report  this  year,  after  conferring  with  the 
Elders:  “If  we  had  the  money  we  could  this 
year  build  25  new  churches  and  open  42  new 
preaching  places."  Think  of  this  in  one  con- 
ference ! 

Are  there  any  results  from  this  work?  The 
Baptists  in  New  Mexico,  in  five  years  went  from 
17  societies  to  42.  The  Republic  Presiding  El- 
der's District  of  the  Columbia  River  Confer- 
ence (Washington)  in  five  years  grew  from  13 
preachers  to  36,  and  from  20  appointments  to  42. 
The  Montana  Conference  grew  in  fifteen  years 
208  percent.  In  the  same  time  Washington  grew 
in  communicants  122  percent,  California  93  per- 
cent and  Oregon  83  percent,  the  three  averaging 
99  percent. 

And  so  the  story  goes.  The  West  has  been  a 
fertile  field  for  the  Methodist  Church.  Our 
Gospel  and  methods  exactly  fit.  It  is  now  the 
promised  land  of  America.  Let  us  “go  over" 
and  possess  it. 


THE  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST 


DANIEL  L.  RADER,  D.D.,  EDITOR  “PACIFIC  CHRISTIAN 
ADVOCATE’  ’ 


Years  ago  a great  writer  brought  out  in  bold 
relief  the  providential  preservation  of  America 
from  the  knowledge  of  the  civilized  world  until 
the  Reformation  had  gotten  well  under  way  and 
made  possible  the  raising  up  of  Protestant  Chris- 
tianity to  evangelize  and  give  the  highest  type 
of  civilization  the  world  has  known  to  this  great 
new  country. 

It  seems  queer  that  any  one  can  study  any  part 
of  history  and  not  see  the  hand  of  God  visibly 
affecting  the  affairs  of  men.  One  who  reads  care- 
fully and  thoughtfully  the  history  of  the  great 
West,  and  especially  of  that  part  known  as  the 
Pacific  Northwest,  must  realize  a sense  of  the 
deepest  awe  as  he  marks  the  controlling  influence 
of  an  ail-wise  Providence  in  the  settlement  and 
development  of  this  country. 

For  untold  ages  the  western  part  of  the  North 
American  continent  has  been  exposed  to  the 
tribes  of  Asia,  and  at  no  time  would  it  have  been 
an  impossible  enterprise  for  the  Japanese,  the 
Chinese-  or  the  Koreans  to  have  gone  up  through 
Kamchatka,  crossed  Bering  Strait  and  come 
down  the  western  coast  of  this  continent.  That 
was  doubtless  done  by  some  adventurous  spirits 
in  prehistoric  times. 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  the  Indians 
inhabiting  this  coast  are  descendants  of  the  same 
ancestry  as  peopled  Eastern  Asia;  but,  for  some 
cause  inexplicable  now,  these  peoples  were  never 
intelligent,  industrious  or  enterprising,  and  the 
country  has  remained  through  the  long  centuries 
practically  as  it  was  before  their  coming. 

European  adventurers  following  the  inspira- 
tion that  prompted  Columbus,  sailed  up  the 
west  coast  of  America,  looked  into  the  bays 
sounds  and  inlets  along  this  coast  until  they  had 
discovered  what  are  now  known  as  Coos  Bay, 
Columbia  River,  Gray’s  Harbor  and  Puget 
Sound,  but  not  much  beyond  the  discovery  did 
any  of  them  go  until  in  1805.  Under  President 
Jefferson,  the  pioneer  hunters  and  trappers, 
Lewis  and  Clark,  determined  to  find  a path 
across  what  was  then  known  as  the  Great  Ameri- 
can Desert,  over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  dis- 
cover the  conditions  and  resources  prevailing 
between  the  summit  of  the  Rockies  and  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean.  This  onerous  and  most  difficult  task 
was  accomplished.  But  little,  however,  grew  out 
of  the  discovery  made  or  the  records  kept  beyond 
a knowledge  of  the  country,  its  contour  and  in- 
habitants. The  people  who  belonged  to  this 
expedition  became  known  to  the  Indains  as  men 
of  pale  faces,  peculiar  dress  and  wide  informa- 
tion, but  so  far  as  any  benefit  to  the  Indian,  there 
was  nothing  tangible  which  remained  after  the 
company  had  gone  back  over  the  mountains  to 
tell  its  wonderful  story. 

However,  the  records  of  the  expedition  and  the 
extensive  knowledge  thereof  aroused  the  spirit 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


of  adventure  in  the  minds  of  many  men  in 
Canada  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  United 
States.  These  people  sought  this  isolated  land 
as  hunters  and  trappers  and,  following  the  trail 
with  the  Red  Men,  about  the  camp  fires  and  in 
their  intercourse  with  them  as  trappers,  under 
some  conditions  which  we  know  not  now,  the  In- 
dians got  an  idea  of  a Rook  wThich  told  them  of 
God  and  brought  a knowledge  of  Him  to  men, 
and  revealed  a land  of  life  and  light  beyond  thi 
river  of  Death.  The  chiefs  came  together  to 
powwow  and  have  a conference  over  the  prospect 
of  securing  such  a book.  Somewhere  about  the 
year  1829  they  selected  four  of  their  stalwart 
men,  a chief,  a medicine  man  and  two  young  men, 
to  cross  the  mountains  and  traverse  the  plains 
seeking  “the  Book.”  They  finally  came  to  St. 
Louis.  Some  one  discovered  that  they  lived  in 
the  land  through  which  Lewis  and  Clark  had 
gone.  The  Indians  were  taken  to  Mr.  Lewis,  but 
while  he  knew’  something  of  history,  much  of  ad- 
venture, a little  of  the  church,  he  seems  to  have 
known  nothing  of  the  Bible,  for  it  evidently  did 
not  occur  to  him  that  these  Indians  were  seeking 
the  Bible  from  the  description  which  they  gave 
him.  After  searching  in  vain  for  the  Book  and 
two  of  them  had  died,  in  despair  the  other  In- 
dians gave  up  their  quest,  and  at  a gathering  of 
their  friends  before  their  departure  the  old  chief 
is  reported  as  saying : 

“We  came  to  you  over  a trail  of  many  moons 
from  the  setting  sun.  You  were  the  friend  of 
our  fathers  who  have  all  gone  the  long  way.  We 
came  with  our  eyes  partly  opened  for  more  light 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


for  our  people  who  sit  in  darkness.  We  go  back 
with  our  eyes  closed.  How  can  we  go  back  blind 
to  our  blind  people ? We  made  our  way  to  you 
with  strong  arms,  through  many  enemies  and 
strange  lands,  that  we  might  carry  back  much  to 
them.  We  go  back  with  empty  and  broken  arms. 
The  two  fathers  who  came  with  us — the  braves 
of  many  winters  and  wars — we  leave  here  asleep 
by  your  great  wigwam.  They  were  tired  in  their 
journey  of  many  moons,  and  their  moccasins 
were  wTorn  out. 

''Our  people  sent  us  to  get  the  white  man's 
Book  of  Heaven.  You  took  us  where  they  wor- 
ship the  Great  Spirit  with  candles,  but  the  Book 
was  not  there.  You  showed  us  the  images  of 
good  spirits,  and  pictures  of  the  good  land  be- 
yond, but  the  Book  was  not  among  them  to  tell 
us  the  way.  You  made  our  feet  heavy  with  bur- 
dens of  gifts,  and  our  moccasins  will  grow  old 
with  carrying  them,  but  the  Book  is  not  among 
them.  We  are  going  back  the  long,  sad  trail 
to  our  people.  When  we  tell  them,  after  one 
more  snow,  in  the  big  council,  that  we  did  not 
bring  the  Book,  no  word  will  be  spoken  by  our 
old  men,  nor  by  our  young  braves.  One  by  one 
they  will  rise  up  and  go  out  in  silence.  Our 
people  will  die  in  darkness,  and  they  will  go  on 
the  long  path  to  other  hunting  grounds.  No 
white  man  will  go  with  them,  and  no  Book  of 
Heaven  to  make  the  wray  plain.  We  have  no 
more  words. ' 9 

All  but  one  of  these  men  died  before  they 
reached  their  people  after  their  long  journey; 
but  the  journey  was  not  in  vain.  Knowledge  of 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


their  adventurous  and  perilous  trip  and  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  was  made  got  into  the  papers. 
It  attracted  the  attention  of  some  devout  Chris- 
tian workers  and  stirred  the  heart  of  the  Church 
in  the  East  as  probably  no  other  incident  in  the 
life  of  the  Nation  had  done.  Wilbur  Fisk,  at 
that  time  President  of  the  Wilbraham  Academy, 
was  so  impressed  with  the  story  that  he  gave 
careful  attention  to  the  incident  and  investigated 
the  conditions  far  enough  to  have  his  soul  might- 
ily stirred  at  the  though  of  the  Eed  Men  of  the 
West  seeking  for  a Book  teaching  them  about 
God.  He  was  at  that  time  the  most  influential 
person  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
was  the  one  man  in  the  Church  who  was  big 
enough  to  positively  and  permanently  refuse  to 
be  consecrated  a Bishop  in  the  Church,  and 
therefore  had  the  pre-eminence  in  influence  over 
those  who  had  accepted  the  high  honor.  Dr. 
Fisk  turned  at  once  to  Jason  Lee  as  the  only 
man  in  all  his  knowledge  whom  he  thought  in 
every  way  qualified  to  undertake  the  great  task 
suggested  by  the  mission  of  the  four  embassies 
from  the  Indian  tribes.  Jason  Lee,  after  careful 
deliberation,  accepted  the  superintendency  of 
missions  to  the  Flat  Head  Indians.  When  prep- 
aration had  been  made,  he  crossed  the  plains 
and  preached  the  first  sermon  that  was  ever 
proclaimed  by  a Protestant  minister  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  at  a point  that  is  now  known  as 
Fort  Hall,  in  Idaho.  While  many  other  white  men 
had  preceded  Mr.  Lee,  his  company  was  the  first 
that  had  ever  crossed  the  plains,  scaled  the  moun- 
tains and  descended  into  the  great  country,  then 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


known  as  Oregon,  for  the  purpose  of  proclaim- 
ing salvation  to  the  people.  Others  had  come  for 
discovery,  for  traffic,  for  adventure,  but  he  came 
to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  After  careful 
thought  and  prayerful  investigation,  he  estab- 
lished his  mission  in  the  Willamette  Valley, 
about  60  miles  from  where  it  empties  into  the 
Columbia.  He  stands  pre-eminently  above  every 
other  man  who  has  ever  entered  this  region  or 
undertaken  to  establish  a Christian  civilization 
in  this  secluded  and  peculiarly  fruitful  and 
boundlessly  fertile  country.  It  was  his  influence, 
connected  with  that  of  Mr.  Whitman,  of  the 
American  Board,  that  determined  that  the  Pa- 
cific Northwest  should  be  a part  of  the  territory 
embraced  in  the  United  States.  Over  this  region 
none  other  than  the  American  flag  ever  floated 
with  authority,  and  this  cannot  be  said  of  any 
other  portion  of  the  United  States. 

The  country  was  so  fertile,  the  climate  so 
salubrious  and  desirable,  the  conditions  were  so 
inviting,  that  Mr.  Lee  and  his  associates  antici- 
pated a great  influx  of  people  to  follow  imme- 
diately upon  the  exploitation  of  the  resources 
of  the  country  among  those  who  lived  on  the  At- 
lantic seaboard.  But  the  distance  around  South 
America  was  so  great,  the  perils  so  many;  the 
long  dreary  march  across  the  plains  was  so  try- 
ing, the  trail  was  difficult,  the  marauding  bands 
of  Indians  had  made  it  so  dangerous  and  every 
path  of  access  to  the  country  seemed  so  nearly 
impossible  that  for  the  first  half  century  the 
country  was  almost  an  impossible  land.  But 
at  no  time  was  there  any  lack  of  bold,  adventur- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

ous,  consecrated  ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ready  to  proclaim 
to  the  authorities,  ‘ 4 Here  am  I;  send  me,”  and 
who  braved  every  danger,  met  every  difficulty 
and  proved  themselves  equal  to  every  require- 
ment to  push  the  interests  of  the  cause  of  the 
Master  into  every  settlement,  town  and  city  that 
has  been  developed  throughout  this,  entire  region. 

Jason  Lee  vras  a master  builder,  but  he  had 
followers  worthy  to  be  his  successors.  William 
Roberts,  J.  H.  Wilbur,  David  Leslie,  A.  F.  Wal- 
ler, all  of  these  partook  of  the  spirit  of  his  lead- 
ership and  are  worthy  of  all  honor,  and  their 
successors  were  not  one  whit  below  them.  Gus- 
tavus  Hines,  Nehemiah  Doane,  I.  D.  Driver, 
T.  F.  Royal  and  their  coadjutors  were  worthy 
successors  of  these  intrepid  followers  of  the 
Master  who  first  broke  the  trail  into  this  great 
empire.  But  the  early  pioneers  lived  and  la- 
bored, hoped  and  waited  and  most  of  them  died 
without  seeing  the  immigration  which  they  had 
expected  or  the  development  in  the  work  to 
which  they  had  given  their  lives.  But  this  delay 
in  the  incoming  of  the  population  made  it  pos- 
sible for  them  to  make  more  secure  and  lay 
deeper  the  foundations  than  would  have  been 
practicable  had  the  incoming  of  the  people  been 
as  rapid  as  they  had  anticipated. 

With  these  great  leaders  to  perform  the  task 
allotted  to  them,  Methodism  became  the  great 
and  almost  dominating  force  in  what  is  now 
Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho.  These  names 
indicate  but  little  to  the  average  reader.  Three 
States  does  not  impress  one  who  is  familiar 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


with  the  fact  that  there  are  now  forty-six 
States  in  the  Union,  but  wdien  it  is  made  plain 
that  these  three  States  have  a territory  as  large 
as  all  of  New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio  and  Indiana  and  2,200  square  miles  be- 
sides, one  gets  nearer  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
area  embraced  in  these  three  great  common- 
wealths. In  addition  to  this,  when  one  calls  to 
mind  the  fact  that  the  fertility  of  these  three 
States  is  far  beyond  the  like  area  of  the  north- 
western part  of  this  Nation,  one  can  then  come 
to  realize  something  of  its  importance.  The 
supply  of  timber  is  unprecedented  in  the  world. 
This  year  about  one-sixth  of  the  wheat  pro- 
duced in  the  United  States  will  be  from  this 
great  region. 

As  long  as  the  emigrant  was  compelled  either 
to  cross  the  plains  in  wagons  or  take  shipping 
around  South  America,  the  coming  of  the  people 
to  the  Northwest  was  slow  and  very  uncertain, 
but  when  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad  was  built 
across  the  continent  from  Omaha  and  the  Ore- 
gon Short  Line  was  constructed  from  Granger 
on  that  line  to  Portland  and  the  Columbia  Eiver, 
the  Northern  Pacific  and  the  Great  Northern 
built  from  St.  Paul  to  the  Puget  Sound,  a stream 
of  people  began  to  pour  into  this  region  unparal- 
leled in  the  history  of  any  part  of  the  United 
States.  Hundreds  of  mills  were  constructed  to 
cut  the  lumber  which  should  laden  the  cars  of 
these  roads  as  they  went  on  their  way  eastward ; 
the  fruit  trees  which  had  been  planted  by  the 
fathers  gave  of  their  product  to  add  to  the  com- 
merce of  this  country  with  the  States  across  the 
Sig.  9 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


Mississippi  River;  the  fertile  valleys  lying  be- 
tween the  Cascade  and  Rocky  Mountains,  which 
were  formerly  thought  to  be  useless,  contributed 
millions  of  bushels  of  wTheat  to  add  to  the  com- 
merce of  our  people,  until  now  the  most  inde- 
pendent farmers  in  the  world  are  among  the 
early  settlers  in  what  is  known  as  the  Inland 
Empire.  Cities  are  springing  up  all  through  the 
land.  Spokane,  which  is  at  the  falls  of  the 
Spokane  River,  is  being  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  promising  and  prosperous  inland  cities  in 
the  Union.  Portland  and  Seattle  are  estimated 
as  having  a population  of  about  200,000  each 
and  are  growing  with  almost  unparalleled  rapid- 
ity. Tacoma  is  coming  close  behind  these,  with 
other  cities,  ranging  from  10,000  to  25,000  popu- 
lation, numbering  nearly  a score. 

The  most  important  feature  connected  with 
the  situation  at  present  is  the  character  of  the 
population  which  is  now  pouring  into  this  re- 
gion. But  few  of  the  emigrants  from  Europe 
reach  this  land.  The  long  distance  across  the 
continent,  the  high  rate  of  railroad  fare,  the 
open  country  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the 
difficult  and  forbidding  conditions  in  crossing 
these  mountains,  cause  nearly  all  of  the  emi- 
grants* from  Europe  to  drop  out  and  settle  east 
of  the  mountains;  whereas  adventurous  young 
men  and  women,  well  trained  and  thoroughly 
informed,  meet  without  hesitation  all  the  diffi- 
culties, the  labors  and  hardships,  in  securing  a 
footing  among  the  noble  descendants  of  the 
hardy  pioneers,  so  that  the  character  of  the 
population  of  American  antecedents  who  are 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


now  in  the  Northwest  is  the  most  desirable. 
There  is  but  a very  small  percentage  of  illiter- 
ates among  the  people.  The  most  of  them,  how- 
ever, are  independent,  self-reliant,  adventurous 
spirits,  who  are  ready  for  any  task,  to  meet  any 
danger  and  to  overcome  any  difficulties,  but  de- 
termined to  succeed.  They  are  capable  of  be- 
coming very  bad,  or  may  be  led  to  be  very  good 
and  greatly  helpful. 

In  addition  to  these,  there  is  coming  from 
across  the  Pacific  Ocean  people  who  are  creating 
problems  that  will  give  us  our  heaviest  tasks 
and  who  are  producing  the  most  difficult  situa- 
tions with  which  any  people  have  ever  had  to 
deal.  On  this  North  Pacific  Coast  are  to  be 
found  more  Chinese,  more  Japanese,  more  Ko- 
reans than  in  any  other  part  of  the  United  States 
outside  of  San  Francisco,  except  the  Hawaiian 
Islands.  The  Japanese,  however,  in  these  parts 
have  never  had  the  strained  relations  with  the 
white  man  which  they  have  met  in  California. 
They  are  not  concentrated  in  any  great  numbers 
in  any  of  the  cities  of  the  Northwest.  They  are 
rather  gardeners,  farmers,  section  hands  on  the 
railroad  and  scattered  through  the  country  in 
clearing  lands,  running  mills  and  engaging  in 
other  pursuits  which  do  not  challenge  the  atten- 
tion and  arouse  the  animosity  of  the  white  peo- 
ple. These  Japanese,  as  a rule,  are  not  coming 
into  contact  with  the  better  class  of  white  men. 
They  are  meeting  the  more  ignorant,  the  baser 
and  more  undesirable  elements  of  the  citizens. 
When  in  the  cities  they  are  associated  with  the 
saloon  loafers  and  the  degraded  classes  of  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


people.  They  have  become  experts  as  porters 
in  hotels,  banks  and  especially  in  saloons.  They 
have  become  adept  in  learning  the  tricks  and 
games  connected  with  gambling.  They  have 
learned  how  to  make  profit  out  of  the  submerged 
social  classes.  After  being  here  a few  months 
they  return  to  Japan  and  there  exploit  their 
own  people,  who  have  known  nothing  of  our  de- 
grading saloons,  of  our  disastrous  gambling 
houses  or  our  debasing  and  humiliating  public 
houses  of  infamy. 

Within  the  last  four  months  the  Hindoos 
from  India  have  been  coming  without  restriction 
into  this  country.  This  freedom  of  movement  is 
because  these  people  are  British  subjects.  In 
June,  1907,  it  was  estimated  that  1,100  Hindoos 
came  into  the  State  of  Washington  alone,  and 
the  number  has  been  steadily  increasing  every 
month  to  the  present.  These  people  come  from 
a land  where  they  had  received  from  five  to 
twelve  cents  for  a day’s  work,  into  this  land 
where  they  will  secure  from  fifty  cents  to  three 
dollars  a day.  Bishop  Thoburn  stated  recently 
to  a large  congregation  during  the  session  of  the 
Oregon  Conference  in  Portland,  that  these  peo- 
ple were  not  being  brought  here  by  parties  who 
intended  to  exploit  them,  but  had  themselves 
learned  of  the  benefits  of  our  country,  the  large 
wages  which  they  would  receive  and  the  im- 
proved conditions  which  would  be  possible  to 
them  in  this  land,  and  that  in  all  probability 
they  would  continue  to  come.  Away  from  the 
cities  and  from  the  ordinary  employment  of 
white  men  they  will  find  demand  for  their 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


labor  and  places  where  they  will  secure  good 
wages.  There  appears  no  reason  why  they 
should  not  continue  to  increase  in  numbers  who 
come  from  India  to  this  country. 

The  present  population  of  the  three  States 
about  which  we  are  writing  is  estimated  to  be 
about  one  and  a quarter  millions,  but  this  is 
being  increased  so  rapidly  that  no  one  would 
pretend  to  be  able  to  give,  with  anything  like 
accuracy,  an  estimate  of  the  exact  number. 

Any  studious  person  can  easily  see  the  diffi- 
culties confronting  Church  work  throughout 
this  land.  Race  prejudice  appears  with  all  its 
heinous  bestiality  wherever  either  the  Chinese, 
the  Japanese  or  the  Hindoos  are  brought  into 
close  competition  with  white  men,  so  that  our 
problem  in  the  field  of  race  prejudice  is  full  as 
difficult  and  dangerous  as  the  race  problem  in 
the  South.  The  rapidity  with  which  the  people 
are  filling  the  country,  the  sense  of  strangeness, 
the  freedom  which  comes  from  the  breaking  of 
former  affiliations,  the  daring  connected  with  the 
fresh,  warm  blood  in  the  young  and  adventurous, 
the  rapid  acquiring  of  wealth  and  the  feverish 
restlessness  associated  with  great  success,  all  ag- 
gravate and  emphasize  the  difficulties  which  con- 
front the  Church  in  Christianizing  this  land  of 
boundless  possibilities  and  incalculable  future. 

But  the  churches,  true  to  their  mission,  are 
meeting  their  problem  with  devotion  and  states- 
manlike breadth  of  vision.  Because  of  the  ante- 
cedents and  superior  leadership  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  and  not  because  of  any  deficiency 
or  lack  of  loyalty  on  the  part  of  the  other 


Methodism  and  the  Bepublic 


churches,  Methodism  has  the  primacy  among 
the  churches,  and  upon  her  rests  the  largest 
share  of  the  responsibility  for  housing  these  new- 
comers, supplying  them  with  Church  privileges 
and  giving  them  the  Gospel  from  the  lips  of  men 
who  are  not  only  aflame  with  the  love  of  the 
Master,  but  have  the  scholastic  preparation 
which  will  insure  them  respect  in  the  estimation 
of  the  people,  who  themselves  have  been  finely 
trained  and  who  have  extensive  learning.  Every 
effort  is  being  made  by  the  leaders  to  produce 
institutions  of  learning  which  will  be  equal  to 
the  demand,  in  furnishing  a proper  supply  of 
leadership  in  pulpit  and  pew.  But  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  present  membership,  to  build  the 
churches,  support  the  quality  of  ministers  re- 
quired, build  and  endow  colleges,  erect  and  sus- 
tain hospitals,  open  and  develop  Sunday  schools, 
produce  and  maintain  Church  papers  and  do  all 
the  other  things  which  are  required  to  meet  the 
demands  arising  out  of  the  conditions  of  our 
population,  and  produce  in  this  country  the 
character  of  population  which,  if  conditions  are 
now  met,  may  be  developed.  The  Church  has 
done  a wrork  of  inestimable  value  in  sending  into 
this  region  missionary  money  to  support  the 
intrepid  itinerant  as  he  has  gone  in  his  canoe, 
along  the  shores  of  the  streams,  inlets,  sounds  and 
bays;  seeking  out  the  lonely  emigrant,  or  has 
given  him  the  means  by  which  he  has  secured 
a horse  to  follow  up  the  path  of  the  woodman, 
seek  out  the  farmer  in  his  solitude,  cheer  and 
comfort  the  miner  in  his  adventures  and  instruct 
and  help  the  railroad-men  and  the  boatmen  in 


The  Pacific  Northwest 


their  perilous  and  trying  employments.  These 
missionaries  have  gone  throughout  this  country 
as  messengers  of  light,  as  veritable  John  the 
Baptists,  and  their  message  has  not  been  in  vain 
and  their  mission  is  in  no  way  a failure. 

If  this  varied  lot  of  emigrants  which  is  now 
pouring  into  this  country  from  all  points  of  the 
compass,  and  which  will  continue  to  come,  are 
met  with  the  right  Christian  influence,  are  led 
by  trained,  capable,  devoted  leaders  who  are 
sufficiently  permeated  with  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  harmonize  these  nationalities,  then 
there  will  be  produced  here  a population  of  the 
finest  quality  that  the  world  has  known.  The 
foreign  population  here  will  influence  the  peoples 
of  the  countries  from  whence  they  come,  where 
the  reports  of  their  own  people  will  be  of  greater 
effectiveness  than  the  messages  borne  by  any 
class  of  Americans  can  have.  The  impressions 
conveyed  by  the  Chinese  who  will  return  to 
China  will  have  greater  potency  in  that  land 
than  any  utterance  that  can  come  from  a messen- 
ger of  Christ  or  from  a writer  of  our  nationality 
concerning  our  own  civilization,  and  will  either 
help  or  hinder  more  when  repeated  by  the  Hin- 
doos who  have  been  here  and  witnessed  for  them- 
selves the  effects  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  our  people,  than  it  can  ever  have  if  told 
by  another. 

It  is  probable  that  for  the  present,  and  maybe 
for  a score  of  years  to  come,  the  Pacific  Coast 
will  be  the  greatest  missionary  field  the  world 
has  ever  known.  Influences  which  shall  go  out 
from  this  coast  will  affect  the  minds  of  the  peo- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


pie  of  the  Orient  as  no  other  channel  of  informa- 
tion can  possibly  do.  There  are  here  Japanese, 
Chinese  and  Hindoos,  open  to  impressions,  who 
can  best  be  made  messengers  of  the  Gospel  to 
their  own  people.  There  are  here  German,  Nor- 
wegian, Swedish  and  Danish  churches  whose 
services  are  conducted  in  their  own  tongues, 
who,  if  properly  encouraged  and  sustained,  will 
be  developed  into  the  finest  type  of  German  and 
Scandinavian  Christianity  that  can  anywhere  be 
found. 

All  this  must  be  done  speedily,  for  if  one  gen- 
eration is  neglected  and  the  people  get  away 
from  God  in  the  days  of  their  poverty  and 
struggle,  it  will  not  be  possible  to  win  them 
back  when  they  have  come  to  affluence  and  pros- 
perity. If  the  Church  cares  for  them  in  their 
poverty  they  will  support  the  Church  and  ex- 
ploit its  interests  in  the  days  of  their  affluence. 
The  whole  land  is  before  the  Church.  On  every 
side  are  rich  harvests  ready  for  the  reaper;  the 
laborers  are  few,  and  a cry  comes  from  every 
quarter,  “Come  over  and  help  us.”  The  day 
after  tomorrow,  if  we  are  faithful  today  and 
tomorrow,  the  Church  may  hear  a voice  as  of 
many  waters  coming  up  from  those  who  have 
been  saved  in  this  land,  saying,  “Glory  and 
honor  and  salvation  unto  Him  who  hath  loved 
us  and  washed  us  in  His  blood,”  provided  we 
heed  now  the  cry  as  it  goes  over  the  land,  “Who 
will  go  for  us  ? ” and  shall  answer  gladly , ‘ ‘ Here 
am  I ; send  me.  ’ ’ 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH  IN  UTAH 


BY  IT.  J.  Tx\LBOT,  SUPERINTENDENT 


Our  Church  is  the  only  one  of  the  Methodist 
family  that  has  any  work  in  this  State.  The  his- 
tory of  the  beginning  of  our  mission  here,  more 
than  thirty-five  years  ago,  is  an  interesting  one. 
Similar  in  many  regards  to  the  opening  of  Chris- 
tian work  in  all  this  western  country,  it  yet  has 
an  individuality  which  differentiates  it  from 
missions  anywhere  else.  Great  honor  is  due  the 
men  and  women  who  have  served  here  in  the 
past.  Theirs  was  not  only  a tremendous  under- 
taking, but  it  was  prosecuted  under  conditions 
which  laid  all  human  resources  under  tribute, 
and  made  a large  draft  upon  infinite  grace.  It 
is  rather  pathetic  to  consider  that,  of  those  who 
patiently  wrought  here,  it  must  be  said  they  “re- 
ceived not  the  promise,’’  only  “having  seen  them 
afar  off.”  One  is  touched  at  the  thought  of 
missionaries  abroad  working,  praying  and  en- 
during for  years  before  any  results  of  their  devo- 
tion were  visible ; but  they  who  are  familiar  with 
the  conditions  under  which  Christian  work  here 
has  been  pushed  forward  through  these  long 
years,  will  be  ready  to  declare  that  some,  at  any 
rate,  who  toiled  in  this  field  are  worthy  to  stand 
beside  the  heroes  and  heroines  whose  names  have 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

had  more  prominence  than  theirs  in  human 
records. 

It  will  perhaps  naturally  be  asked  why  our 
Church  should  maintain  mission  work  in  Utah. 
Such  a question  is  a fair  one,  and  deserves  a 
candid  answer. 

There  is  the  same  reason  for  mission  work  here 
as  there  is  for  it  in  any  part  of  the  West  or 
South.  Here  is  a vast  region  of  country  which  is 
rapidly  filling  up  with  a heterogeneous  mass  of 
people.  Among  them  are  Christian  families  that 
need  to  be  ministered  to,  for  they  are  in  sur- 
roundings which  ceaselessly  beat  against  the 
spiritual  life ; and  the  children  in  these  families 
must  have  the  teachings  of  the  Christian  faith, 
its  sanctions  and  exam  pies,  if  they  are  to  be  saved 
from  relapsing  into  semi-barbarism.  Here,  too, 
are  the  turbulent,  the  vicious,  the  God-defying, 
to  whom  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  offers  the 
only  hope  for  time  or  for  eternity.  And  here, 
likewise,  are  multitudes  of  foreigners  who  need 
to  be  assimilated  to  our  American  life,  and  who, 
in  the  process  of  assimilation,  must  have  Chris- 
tian influences  upon  their  lives  or  must  become 
an  ever-growing  menace  to  our  Christian  civili- 
zation. There  are  in  Utah  quite  a number  of 
mining  towns.  In  some  of  these  conditions  are 
but  little  different  from  what  they  are  in  towns 
outside  the  mining  districts;  but  in  others  the 
need  for  Christian  services  is  emphasized  by  the 
frightful  immorality  prevailing.  It  is  quite 
within  bounds  to  say  that  no  more  needy  and  no 
more  promising  fields  for  Christian  work  can 
be  found  in  all  America  than  in  these  new  States 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


and  Territories  which  the  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions and  Church  Extension  has  undertaken  to 
cultivate.  Looking  at  the  opportunity  presented, 
one  is  surprised  that  the  church-at-large  is  not 
more  alive  to  it;  likewise  that  so  many  young 
men,  just  entering  the  ministry,  are  content  to 
remain  in  the  older  sections  of  the  country  where 
the  pastoral  charges  fairly  crowd  upon  each 
other,  and  where  there  is  such  an  over-abundance 
of  Gospel  light  and  privileges,  whilst  these  vast 
districts  are  without  shepherds.  It  does  not 
speak  well  for  the  quality  of  our  present-day 
devotion  to  our  Lord.  One  cannot  long  remain 
in  this  western  country  without  coming  to  see 
that  here,  as  nowhere  else,  our  Christianity  is 
undergoing  a most  severe  trial. 

But,  in  addition  to  the  common  need  for  Chris- 
tian w^ork  prevailing  in  all  this  western  country, 
there  is  an  emphasized  need  which  is  peculiar  to 
Utah.  Whilst  our  Church,  in  common  with  other 
Christian  Churches,  has  its  message  for  all  this 
new  country,  it  has  also  a mesage,  as  they  also 
have,  to  the  Mormon  population  of  Utah.  Mor- 
monism  has  some  peculiarities  which  differ- 
entiate it  from  all  other  religious  cults.  It  not 
only  professes  to  be  a Christian  Church,  but  it 
claims  to  be  the  only  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  world.  It  holds  the  Bible  to  be  an  inspired 
Book,  and  that  it  is  authoritative,  ivhen  properly 
translated  and  interpreted . It  believes  in  God 
and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  in  the  divinity  of 
Jesus  Christ,  after  a fashion,  and  professes  to 
hold  His  life  as  an  example  for  men.  It  has 
seized  upon  much  that  is  contained  in  Bible  doc- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


trine  and  appropriated  it  as  peculiarly  its  own. 
Rut  its  conception  and  teaching  about  God  is  that 
He  is  only  an  exalted  man ; that  He  was  once  as 
men  are  now ; that  He  has  body  and  passions  as 
man,  only  exalted.  Its  thought  and  teaching  of 
Christ  is  that,  whilst  He  is  divine,  He  is  a man, 
physically  begotten  by  God  the  Father  of  a 
human  mother.  Its  idea  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
that  He  is  of  material  substance,  capable  of 
tactual  transmission  from  person  to  person.  Its 
interpretation  makes  the  Bible  an  utterly  in- 
adequate revelation  froni  God,  which  must  needs 
be  supplemented  by  the  equally  divinely 
inspired  utterances  of  Joseph  Smith  and  the 
‘‘living  oracles ”;  these  last  being  certain  mem- 
bers of  the  “Holy  Priesthood ” who  are,  upon 
occasion,  authorized  to  reveal  God’s  will  to  men. 
To  judge  from  the  relative  stress  laid  upon 
these  sources  of  revelation,  in  their  teachings,  the 
Bible  is  wholly  subordinate  to  all  the  others. 
Mormonism’s  ideal  life  is  one  of  unquestioning 
obedience  to  a priesthood  of  practically  unlim- 
ited powers.  Its  heaven  is  one  of  material  ad- 
vantages and  exaltation.  Judged  by  its  writings, 
its  teachings  and  its  results,  it  has  no  message 
for  the  sin-burdened;  no  promise  of  spiritual 
fellowship  with  God ; no  redemption  by  the 
vicarious  sacrifice  of  Christ,  as  held  by 
Christians  generally;  no  conception  of  a spirit- 
ual need  which  is  met  and  satisfied  only  by  an 
assurance  of  divine  favor.  Its  claim  to  be  a 
Christian  Church  would  not  be  admitted,  or 
even  seriously  considered,  by  an  intelligent  jury 
convened  to  pass  upon  its  assumption.  "What 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


the  results  of  its  unchecked  teachings  would  be 
morally  may  be  conjectured  if  one  reverts  to 
the  history  of  conditions  prevailing  in  Utah 
before  the  building  of  railroads  and  the  con- 
struction of  telegraph  lines  connecting  the 
Territory  with  other  parts  of  the  country;  and 
before  the  influx  of  a “Gentile”  population  in 
considerable  numbers  and  the  influence  of  the 
Christian  churches.  Much  attention  is  now 
paid  to  education;  but  this  has  been  stimulated 
by  the  small  schools  opened  by  the  Christian 
churches.  Civil  law  is  in  full  operation,  and  is 
as  well  administered  here  as  in  other  western 
States,  perhaps,  save  when  it  touches  the  prac- 
tices of  the  Mormon  Church.  The  political  and 
the  business  conditions  are  in  the  power  of  that 
Church  whenever  it  chooses  to  use  that  power. 

The  Mormon  Church  is  more  compactly  or- 
ganized than  any  other  communion  known  in 
this  Nation.  Its  system  of  interdependence,  ex- 
tending from  the  head  of  the  Church  to  its  most 
obscure  member,  is  as  thorough  as  any  military 
establishment.  Its  knowledge  of  its  member- 
ship and  its  control  over  them  is  most  intimate, 
and  little  short  of  despotic.  Its  appropriation 
of  many  Christian  tenets,  its  careful  espionage 
of  its  clientele  and  its  use  of  priestly  power, 
together  with  the  unceasing  teaching  of  the 
children,  makes  it  well-nigh  invulnerable  to 
Christian  influences.  Without  exaggeration  it 
may  be  said  that  Mormonism  more  defiantly 
challenges  Christianity  than  does  any  other 
power  in  this  land. 

From  this  brief  and  hastily-worded  survey  it 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


may  be  seen  that,  if  we  are  right  in  our  inter- 
pretation of  the  Bible,  we  have  here  a people 
who  are  blinded  and  led  astray  from  the  truth 
as  certainly  as  are  those  peoples  who  have  no 
conception  whatever  of  the  Christian  faith.  That 
our  Church  has  a message  for  them,  and  that 
the  chief  reason  for  our  being  here  is  to  bring 
the  pure  Gospel  to  them,  is  at  once  apparent. 
Whatever  else  it  may  be  doing,  Mormonism  is 
not  making  Christians  of  the  people  in  the  New 
Testament  sense  of  the  word  Christian.  It  has 
no  testimony  against  sin  per  se,  but  against 
those  forms  of  it  that  affect  economic  and  social 
conditions.  To  minister  to  the  “ Gentile  ” popu- 
lation of  Utah  is  important ; to  teach  and  preach 
a pure  Gospel  among  the  Mormons  is  a prime 
reason  for  Christian  missions  here. 

In  all  Christian  work  here,  due  account  should 
be  taken  of  all  that  is  commendable  in  those 
who  hold  the  Mormon  faith.  The  utter  sincerity 
of  the  vast  majority  of  the  people  is  unques- 
tionable; their  thorough  devotion  to  the  Church 
and  what  they  believe  to  be  true  is  praise- 
worthy; and  in  general  their  lives  are  free  from 
turbulence.  Indeed,  in  these  regards,  they  can 
challenge  comparison  with  the  people  of  any 
other  faith  whatsoever.  They  are  naturally  a 
kindly-disposed  people,  and,  left  without  inter- 
ference, are  agreeable  as  neighbors  and  friends. 
As  a rule,  they  are  easily  led,  not  much  given  to 
independent  research,  and  quite  susceptible  to 
the  argument  of  authority  when  well-intrenched 
and  strongly  exercised.  Thus  they  are  singu- 
larly susceptible  to  priestly  rule ; and  the  power 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


lodged  in  the  priesthood  is  unsparingly  used 
against  all  recalcitrants.  They  have  been  well- 
taught  in  the  duty  of  obedience  to  their  supe- 
riors in  the  Church.  Whether  or  not  any  con- 
siderable number  of  them  are  oath-bound  to 
Church  loyalty  as  against  obedience  to  any  other 
authority,  may  be  an  open  question;  but  that, 
generally,  all  other  obligations  are  held  subor- 
dinate to  Church  fealty — one  comes,  after  due 
acquaintance  with  them,  to  have  little  doubt 
upon  this  point.  It  may  be  seen,  therefore,  that 
there  is  much  that  elicits  one ’s  respect 
for  the  mass  of  the  people.  Wholesale  and 
undiscriminating  denunciation  of  the  Mormons 
is  as  unchristian  as  it  is  unwise.  No  man’s 
religion,  sincerely  believed,  may  be  held  up  to 
ridicule,  however  grotesque  it  may  appear  to 
those  who  are  of  different  faith.  Every  man’s 
religious  belief  is  worthy  of  respectful  considera- 
tion, however  we  may  regard  the  conduct  of 
those  who  may  appear  to  exercise  authority  in 
religion  for  their  own  advantage. 

It  will  naturally  occur  to  our  people,  who  are 
expected  to  patronize  our  work  here,  to  ask  why 
have  not  results  been  more  satisfactory?  The 
answer  is  at  hand.  In  the  first  place,  much  of 
the  population  of  Utah  is  migratory  in  char- 
acter. It  not  infrequently  happens  that  a min- 
ister who  last  year  had  a fair-sized  membership 
under  his  care,  this  year  finds  himself  under 
the  necessity  of  beginning  at  the  foundations 
again,  as  his  members,  for  the  most  part,  have 
moved  on.  This  is  true  of  the  most  of  our 
western  work. 


Methodism  and  the  Kepublie 


In  the  next  place,  the  non-Mormon  popula- 
tion of  Utah  is  not  sufficiently  cohesive  to  effect- 
ually contend  with  the  prevailing  religion.  The 
solidarity  of  the  Mormon  Church  is  phenomenal. 
It  would  naturally  be  supposed  that  the  pres- 
ence and  impact  of  a dominant,  solid  and  every- 
where self-assertive  force,  like  the  Mormon 
Church  in  Utah,  would  drive  all  the  people  who 
do  not  hold  with  it,  into  close  alliance.  But 
such  is  not  the  case.  Many  of  the  non-Mormons 
are  transients  having  but  a temporary  interest 
in  affairs  here;  many  are  not  at  all  concerned 
about  Christian  work  here  or  anywhere;  and 
some  withdraw  themselves  from  our  Church 
work  for  prudential  reasons.  This  leaves  but  a 
comparatively  small  contingent  upon  which  the 
Christian  leaders  can  depend  for  active  assist- 
ance. 

When  you  add  to  the  above  things  mentioned 
the  fact  that,  for  the  most  part,  our  work  has 
seemed  to  have  for  its  objective  the  caring  for 
the  “Gentile”  population,  not  generally  going 
into  solidly  Mormon  communities,  and  some- 
times even  withdrawing  from  such  when  the 
4 4 Gentiles”  have  moved  away;  and  when  you 
add  the  still  further  fact  of  the  almost  impene- 
trable front  presented  by  the  dominant  Church 
against  our  work;  then  it  will  begin  to  appear 
why  results  have  not  been  greater. 

But,  as  a matter  of  fact,  the  outcome  of  our 
work  here  has  been  greater  than  can  be  made  to 
appear  in  any  table  of  statistics.  Our  Church 
has  borne  a most-honorable  share  in  the  Chris- 
tian work  in  the  State.  In  estimating  what 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


Christianity  has  done  for  Utah,  it  must  be 
remembered  that,  as  yet,  but  a comparatively 
small  area  of  the  State  has  been  reached  by  its 
work.  Out  of  the  approximately  three  hundred 
towns  in  the  State,  only  about  sixty  have  Chris- 
tian work  maintained  in  them.  Among  these 
sixty,  however,  are  the  centers  of  population. 
The  influence  of  the  small,  thinly-attended 
Christian  churches  upon  the  conditions  here  has 
been  out  of  all  proportion  to  their  numerical 
notation.  They  have  favorably  affected  educa- 
tion. It  may  be  doubted  whether  any  other 
agency  has  been  so  powerful  in  developing  the 
public  school  system  in  the  State  as  the  small 
church  schools  opened  wherever  the  denomina- 
tions went  years  ago.  These  stimulated  in 
parents  a desire  for  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren, and  revealed  to  those  who  oppose  our 
work  the  necessity  of  counterbalancing  the  in- 
fluence of  such  Christian  schools  by  a public 
school  system.  These  Christian  churches  have 
toned  up  public  sentiment  on  social  questions, 
so  that,  though  the  laws  against  polygamy  are 
not  generally  enforced,  and  cannot  be  under 
present  conditions,  yet  it  is  not  as  open  as  in 
other  days,  though  it  has  yet  the  Church  sanction 
as  of  old.  The  Christian  churches  have  been 
influential  in  preventing  the  prevailing  system 
from  reaching  its  full  fruitage  in  conditions 
little  short  of  despotism  and  moral  degradation. 
The  spirit  of  Mormonism  is  one  of  priestly  ab- 
solutism ; and  the  fruitage  of  its  teachings,  if 
unchecked,  would  inevitably  issue  in  moral  de- 
terioration. No  amount  of  sophistical  reasoning 

Sig.  10 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


can  obscure  this  point.  The  Christian  churches 
have  steadily  resisted  this  development,  and  not 
without  creditable  success.  They  have  fostered 
respect  for  Federal  authority.  Wherever  they 
have  gone  the  flag  has  been  unfurled,  and  they 
have  emphasized  loyalty  to  Federal  institutions. 
All  these  are  not  results  that  can  be  tabulated; 
but  they  are  none  the  less  real  and  important. 
When  to  these  things  is  added  the  fact  that 
many  converts  have  been  made  in  these  years  of 
Gospel  work,  that  converts  to  the  Mormon  faith 
from  among  the  “ Gentiles  ” in  this  State  are  so 
rare  as  to  attract  no  attention,  that  Gospel  light 
is  spreading  into  new  communities  every  year, 
and  institutions  of  learning  under  Christian 
auspices  are  constantly  increasing — when  all  this 
is  taken  into  account  it  may  easily  be  seen  that 
the  results  of  Christian  work  in  Utah  are  by  no 
means  inconsiderable. 

Experience  and  observation  alike  show  that 
our  mission  in  Utah  must  be  characterized  by 
several  things  which  should  here  be  mentioned: 

First  of  all,  it  must  be  educational.  In  no 
land  where  a form  of  religion  is  strongly  in- 
trenched, and  especially  where  it  is  intertwined 
with  the  business  and  civic  life  of  the  people; 
and,  more  particularly  yet,  where  it  has  some- 
thing of  the  color  of  Christianity — in  no  land 
where  such  conditions  prevail  have  revolutions 
in  religion  been  suddenly  wrought.  The  way 
must  be  prepared.  For  years  we  have  had  no 
mentionable  part  in  the  educational  life  of  the 
State.  A few’  small  and  isolated  schools  we 
have  supported  have  made  no  appreciable  im- 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


pression  in  the  communities  where  they  have 
been  located,  much  less  upon  the  State-at-large. 
Otherwhere  our  participation  in  educational 
work  has  been  not  only  creditable  to  us,  but  has 
been  of  vast  public  good  and  a potent  means  of 
extending  the  influence  of  our  Church.  Until 
two  years  ago,  we  had  not  for  a number  of  years 
had  any  schools  in  the  State  except  five  or  six 
small  ones  of  primary  and  intermediate  grades. 
There  were  but  few  high  schools  in  the  State, 
and,  in  consequence,  the  people  were  limited  to 
the  common  school  grades,  or  were  under  the 
necessity  of  sending  their  children  long  dis- 
tances— forty  to  one  hundred  miles  from  home — 
to  pursue  their  studies  beyond  the  grade  work. 
Two  years  ago  we  opened  an  institution  of  high 
school  grade  in  the  center  of  a large  territory; 
and  one  year  ago  another  such  school  was 
opened  in  a like  center.  These  schools  began 
with  but  few  students — in  one  case  with  but 
eight,  and  in  the  other  with  only  five — but  both 
are  increasing  in  attendance  and  are  making  a 
fine  reputation  for  excellent  work.  The  oppo- 
sition to  them  is  quiet  but  persistent,  upon  the 
part  of  those  who  regard  all  Christian  workers 
as  intruders ; nevertheless,  the  purpose  is  to 
steadily  follow  up  the  development  of  the 
schools  already  established,  and  to  open  others 
of  like  character  in  strategic  locations  as  rapidly 
as  means  and  teachers  can  be  secured  therefor. 
This  side  of  our  work  must  be  emphasized  if  we 
are  to  have  a permanent  constituency  here,  and 
if  we  are  to  do  any  fair  share  of  the  Christian 
work  that  needs  to  be  done  in  Utah.  Money 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

could  hardly  be  put  to  a better  use  by  those  who 
have  something  to  spare  for  benevolent  work, 
than  to  donate  it  for  the  founding  and  support 
of  such  schools. 

In  the  next  place,  here  of  all  places  we  must 
bear  clear  and  steadfast  testimony  to  the  author- 
ity of  the  Bible  as  the  full  and  sufficient  revela- 
tion of  God  to  men.  Its  claims  as  such  must  be 
pressed,  and  its  precepts  as  bearing  upon  prac- 
tical life  must  be  strongly  enforced.  Its  great 
central  doctrines  of  God,  sin,  atonement,  must 
have  reiterated  proclamation.  The  claim  of  co- 
equal authoritative  revelation  set  up  for  the 
writings  of  Joseph  Smith  and  for  the  “Living 
Oracles’’  of  the  Mormon  Church  must  be  merci- 
lessly exposed,  though  in  the  spirit  of  Christian 
kindness.  Our  message  must  lay  great  stress 
upon  the  absolute  necessity  of  spiritual  regen- 
eration. Whatever  may  be  true  of  other  regions, 
in  this  State  the  need  and  possibility  of  regen- 
eration by  divine  power  are  put  aside  as  being 
beyond  the  range  of  things  to  be  considered  in 
connection  with  religion.  As  elsewhere  said,  our 
Christianity  is  here  on  trial  as  perhaps  nowhere 
else.  Is  the  Bible  a sufficient  revelation  of 
God  to  mankind,  or  must  it  be  supplemented 
by  revelations  upon  matters  both  important  and 
trivial  through  all  kinds  of  men  who  may  hap- 
pen to  hold  official  positions  in  the  so-called  only 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  world?  Does 
God  reveal  the  enormity  of  sin,  and  declare  that 
men  must  be  born  from  above?  Can  He  reveal 
Himself  in  human  consciousness?  Can  He  for- 
give sin  and  renew  the  penitent  sinner  in  the 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


divine  likeness?  Does  the  atonement  of  Christ 
meet  a realized  need  in  human  experiences  ? Can 
faith  in  Christ  and  spiritual  fellowship  with 
Him  revolutionize  human  lives?  It  is  no  ex- 
aggeration to  say  that  the  prevailing  religious 
teaching  in  Utah  not  only  obscures  these  things, 
but  in  its  practical  effects  is  directly  adverse  to 
them.  Not  Christianity,  but  a substitute  for  it 
is  proclaimed.  Herein  appears  the  challenge 
to  spiritual  religion,  and  also  the  unceasing  need 
of  the  Gospel  message. 

Still  further,  our  campaign  must  have  a 
definite  purpose.  If  we  are  here  to  minister 
only  or  chiefly  to  “Gentiles,”  then  our  work  is 
much  simplified,  and  we  need  but  small  increase 
from  year  to  year  in  prosecuting  it.  But  our 
mission  is  not  primarily  to  the  “Gentiles.”  We 
do  not  believe  that  any  evidence  yet  adduced 
substantiates  the  claim  that  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, or  any  of  the  other  professed  4 4 revelations  ’ ’ 
upon  which  the  Mormon  people  rely,  is  divinely 
inspired.  We  do  not  believe  that  credentials 
have  ever  been  produced  sufficient  to  prove  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  a prophet  of  God,  or  that  any 
of  his  successors  in  office  have  been  the  Lord’s 
prophets.  We  do  not,  therefore,  believe  that  the 
Mormon  Church  is  the  only  church  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  earth.  We  are  not  able  to  see  that 
the  Mormon  Church  teaches  a vital,  personal 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  a requisite  of  salvation, 
or  that  in  any  adequate  degree  it  ministers  to 
the  spiritual  needs  of  mankind.  Our  only  con- 
clusion must  therefore  be  that  its  claim  is  erro- 
neous, and  that  its  people  are  deluded  and  are  in 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

spiritual  darkness.  We  hold  these  conclusions 
firmly,  whilst  at  the  same  time  we  concede  the 
greatest  respect  to  the  vast  majority  of  the 
members  of  that  Church,  whom  we  believe  to  be 
sincere  in  their  faith.  Whilst,  therefore,  we 
cast  no  reproach  upon  them,  and  are  far  from 
ridiculing  their  religion,  yet  at  the  same  time 
we  hold  that  they  are  being  led  away  from  the 
true  revelation  of  the  Divine  One  as  given  in 
the  Bible,  and  that  they  are  not  following  the 
Christ  of  God.  These  are  the  views  which  have 
inspired  the  founding  of  our  work  in  Utah. 
Hence,  our  mission  is  distinctly  and  primarily 
to  the  Mormon  people.  But  if  it  is  to  the  Mor- 
mon people,  first  of  all,  then  we  must  use  the 
means  best  adapted  to  reach  the  end  in  view. 
Apparently,  for  some  years  past,  the  work  has 
been  pitched  upon  the  plane  of  caring  for  the 
“Gentiles.”  No  word  of  criticism  is  here 
offered,  or  can  be  allowed,  concerning  policies 
previously  pursued.  Doubtless  it  was  necessary 
for  the  work  to  pass  over  some  such  stages  as 
those  over  which  it  has  gone.  But  what  is  here 
claimed  is  that  we  are  not  here  to  hold  our 
ground  among  the  “Gentiles,”  but  to  press  our 
work  among  the  Mormons.  We  are  not  here  to 
defend  ourselves,  but  to  carry  our  banner  to 
conquest  over  an  unauthenticated  religion. 
And  there  is  no  hope  for  the  cause  of  Christ  here 
except  in  sounding  the  advance.  No  one  has 
the  data  upon  which  to  declare  that  the  evan- 
gelization of  Utah  is  impossible,  for  it  has  not 
yet  been  seriously  undertaken.  The  preliminary 
work  has  been  done,  and  well  done.  The  final 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


struggle  for  the  supremacy  of  Christianity  in 
Utah  lies  before  us.  This  declaration  does  not 
dwarf  the  services  of  the  men  and  women  who 
gave  the  best  years  of  their  lives  to  this  work; 
but  it  recognizes  the  quality  and  extent  of  their 
toils  and  privations  as  being  in  the  highest  sense 
necessary;  and,  at  the  same  time,  it  apprehends 
the  fact  that  all  such  pioneer  work  has  but  been 
in  preparation  for  the  decisive  contest.  It 
would  seem  to  be  the  dictate  of  wisdom  to  push, 
as  rapidly  as  is  consistent  with  permanency  of 
occupation,  into  all  communities  where  there 
is  no  Christian  work,  until  all  communities 
have  the  Gospel  message.  But  one  way  to  ac- 
complish this  seems  practicable.  We  need  to 
employ  a number  of  lay  missionaries  who  will  be 
willing  to  go  into  solidly  Mormon  towns,  live  the 
Christian  life,  organize  Sunday  schools,  culti- 
vate friendly  relations  with  the  people,  distrib- 
ute Bibles  and  tracts,  hold  meetings  for  prayer 
and  religious  inquiry,  and  gather  people  to- 
gether for  preaching  services.  Then  group  from 
four  to  eight  or  ten  of  these  places  under  the 
care  of  one  preacher  who  shall  travel  from  place 
to  place  and  preach  the  Word  to  many  or  few, 
as  the  lay  missionary  may  be  able  to  gather  them 
together.  For  purposes  of  evangelization  cir- 
cuit work  stands  justified  by  the  experience  of 
the  Church.  It  is  not  forgotten  that  great 
obstacles  stand  in  the  way  of  such  a method; 
nor  that  such  an  active  campaign  will  arouse  an 
opposition  the  like  of  which  has  not  heretofore 
been  encountered.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  there  can  be  no  obstacles  to  the  Gospel  pre- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

sented  in  Utah  which  have  not  been  met  and 
overcome  elsewhere  by  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  We  shall  not  easily  nor  peacefully 
spread  the  light  of  divine  truth,  but  rather  in 
toil  and  conflict.  Who  will  say,  “Here  am  I, 
send  me”? 

The  next  thing  to  be  noted  has  respect  to 
men  and  means  for  the  prosecution  of  our  work. 
We  must  have  men  of  the  best  quality.  Money 
is  not  to  be  made  in  this  field,  a bare  support 
being  all  that  a minister  can  usually  expect. 
Distinction  among  men  is  not  to  be  gained;  this 
is  no  place  for  self-exploitation.  Therefore,  if 
either  of  these  motives  is  dominant  in  a min- 
ister, he  would  do  well  to  shun  Utah.  “Who- 
soever will  be  great  among  you  let  him  be  your 
servant;  and  whosoever  would  be  chief  amongst 
you  let  him  be  your  slave” — that’s  the  note  of 
distinction  in  such  a field  as  this.  “The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  me” — that’s  the  motive. 
Much  inconspicuous  toil  will  fall  to  the  lot  of 
any  minister  who  brings  any  conscience  to  speak 
of  into  the  work  here.  The  opportunity  for 
self -forgetting  service  is  phenomenal.  It  is 
much  to  be  doubted  whether  there  is  a field  in 
the  civilized  world,  or  anywhere  else  for  that 
matter,  where  Christ  has  more  need  of  tactful, 
faithful  friends  in  the  ministry  than  He  has  in 
Utah.  Little  use  for  ministers,  however  pious 
they  may  be,  to  come  here,  who  are  so  fixed  in 
their  habits  of  life  and  in  their  methods  of  work 
as  to  be  unable  to  adapt  themselves  to  the 
singular  conditions  which  they  will  find.  It 
will  be  little  to  the  purpose  to  send  men  here 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


who  have  ceased  to  study,  or  have  become  per- 
functory in  their  work,  or  who  have  failed  else- 
where, or  who  are  deficient  in  the  gift  of  leader- 
ship, or  whose  personal  religious  lives  are  below 
par.  And  it  will  be  a mortal  hurt  to  put  men 
into  this  work  whose  reputations  are  clouded. 
The  very  best  that  the  Church  has  must  be  de- 
tailed for  service  on  this  front  line,  if  we  are  to 
hope  for  victory,  or  even  avoid  disaster.  Men 
of  singular  ability  and  of  unsurpassed  devotion 
have  served  here  in  other  years,  and  slowly,  yet 
surely,  a fine  force  of  men  who  are  in  nowise 
second  to  them  is  gathering  at  this  outpost  now. 
We  invite  young  men  of  training,  devotion  and 
energy ; upon  whom  God  has  laid  His  hand ; who 
are  not  afraid  of  hardships;  who  can  endure 
defeats,  reproach  and  hard  knocks  for  Christ’s 
sake ; who  covet  a place  with  the  advance 
guard — we  invite  such  men  to  volunteer  for 
service  here.  We  pray  to  be  defended  against 
the  fearful,  the  unbelieving,  the  indolent  and 
the  time-serving. 

Some  day — pray  God  it  may  not  be  distant ! — 
there  will  be  a great  spiritual  awakening  among 
this  people.  When  that  day  dawns  the  time  of 
opportunity  will  have  come.  Then  thousands 
of  people  whose  spiritual  natures  have  been 
starved  through  dreary  years  of  misguidance 
will  be  feeling  after  God  if  haply  they  may  find 
Him,  though  He  is  not  far  from  every  one  of 
them..  And  they  will  find  Him.  It  will  be  the 
happy  fortune  of  those  ministers  and  others 
here  who  have  kept  their  hearts  open  toward 
the  Lord,  whose  spirits  have  been  sensitive  to 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

the  Spirit  Divine,  who  have  nourished  them- 
selves with  the  grace  and  love  of  God  through 
faith  in  His  Son,  who  have  not  fainted  in  the 
day  of  trial,  nor  doubted  in  the  time  of  despond- 
ency, nor  given  over  prayer  in  the  hour  of 
blackest  night — it  will  be  theirs  to  guide  grop- 
ing souls  to  Him  who  never  rebuffs  the  penitent. 
We  have  never  ceased  to  pray  and  look  with 
longing  eyes,  though  sometimes  with  weary 
hearts,  for  that  certain  dawn.  Ye  that  can  come, 
come  over  and  help  us!  Ye  that  cannot  come, 
plead  with  God  for  us  that  our  faith  fail  not 
until  the  morning  breaks ! 

Be  sure  to  give  a loyal  support  to  that  newly- 
organized  Board  which  administers  our  Chris- 
tian work  in  the  home  field.  Vast  multitudes 
are  pouring  into  this  western  region,  with  whom 
will  rest  ere  long  the  welfare  of  this  country 
we  love  and  the  honor  of  the  Lord  we  adore. 
That  Board,  in  the  magnitude  and  importance  of 
its  work,  has  a patriotic  and  religious  claim  upon 
the  interest  and  bounty  of  all  our  people.  By 
no  word  or  hint  must  the  interest  of  our  people 
in  Christian  work  beyond  the  seas  be  impaired. 
Duty  and  loyalty  to  Christ  call  us  to  enter  the 
open  doors  there.  Duty,  self-preservation, 
patriotism,  devotion  to  Christ  call  us  to  the  be- 
stowment  of  service  and  bounty  here.  The  one 
call  need  not  drown  the  other.  Leaders  of  our 
missionary  enterprises  in  our  own  land  do  not 
ask  for  much — certainly  for  nothing  unreason- 
able. They  only  wish  to  have  the  assurance  of 
increasing  support  from  our  powerful  and 
wealthy  Church,  as  they  may  be  able  to  secure 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Utah 


suitable  men  and  women  to  open  new  work,  and 
sustain  it,  where  it  is  most  sorely  needed.  And 
let  it  not  be  forgotten  that,  even  as  compared 
with  the  lot  of  those  who  go  abroad,  the  situation 
of  our  home  missionaries  is  not  one  naturally 
desirable.  They  will  have  a large  place,  there- 
fore, in  the  sympathies  and  prayers  of  thought- 
ful Christian  people.  Of  all  the  missionaries, 
either  at  home  or  abroad,  none  are  more  entitled 
to  such  prayerful  and  sympathetic  consideration 
than  our  missionaries  in  Utah. 


CHINESE  MISSIONS  ON  OUR 
PACIFIC  COAST 


REV.  EDWARD  JAMES,  SUPERINTENDENT  PACIFIC 
COAST  CHINESE  MISSION 


The  relations  between  Chinese  and  Americans 
(or  other  foreigners)  on  the  Pacific  Coast  have 
two  phases:  (1)  political  and  industrial;  (2) 
philanthropic  and  religious.  Very  little  popular 
attention  has  been  given  to  the  second  phase, 
but  such  thought  as  has  been  given  the  Orientals 
has  been  almost  entirely  concerned  with  the  first 
phase.  It  is  necessary  for  us  briefly  to  review 
political  and  industrial  conditions  in  order  to 
clear  the  atmosphere  and  rightly  understand  the 
conditions  of  religious  work  among  the  Chinese 
on  this  coast. 

The  Chinese  have  never  presumed  to  concern 
themselves  with  our  politics,  economics  or  relig- 
ion. They  have  been  content  to  proceed  quietly 
about  their  o wn  business,  adopting  without  pro- 
test such  of  our  customs  as  have  seemed  desirable 
to  them,  embracing  our  faith  and  our  institutions 
as  they  have  appealed  to  their  judgment,  meas- 
urably as  other  aliens  conforming  to  our  civil 
requirements,  and  showing  themselves  in  every 
way  quite  as  amenable  to  reason  and  the  civil 
authorities  as  any  nationality  coming  to  us  from 
the  thirty -two  points  of  the  compass.  They  have 


Chinese  Missions  on  Onr  Pacific  Coast 


never  demanded  special  favors  nor  asked  uncom- 
mon privileges.  The  anti-Chinese  agitations  have 
not  found  basis  upon  lawlessness  of  Chinese,  but 
have  almost  always  come  from  other  peoples 
greater  disturbers  than  they.  Those  who  vio- 
lently oppose  and  consciencelessly  abuse  Chinese 
are  almost  invariably  themselves  foreign  born, 
or  first  generation  descendants,  and  a large  per- 
centage of  them  unable  to  speak  the  English  lan- 
guage correctly.  Judging  from  their  profane, 
obscene  and  vituperous  language,  their  preju- 
diced, partial  and  senseless  legislation,  their  vio- 
lent, murderous  and  anarchistic  methods,  con- 
demnation from  such  people  is  often  equal  to  cer- 
tificate of  good  moral  character. 

The  problem  is  involved,  and  for  clearness  per- 
haps we  can  do  no  better  than  to  ask  and  answer 
a few  leading  questions,  which  will  be  found  to 
cover  the  principal  arguments. 

Are  not  the  Chinese  workmen  in  this  country 
on  contract  labor,  and  virtually  slaves  ? Ans. : Not 
at  all.  The  Chinese  are  not  a servile  people,  but 
as  free  as  any  who  ever  breathed  our  atmosphere, 
and  they  have  no  such  class  and  caste  distinctions 
as  prevail  among  some  other  peoples.  Every 
Chinaman  who  comes  to  this  country  comes  as 
a free  man.  He  is  at  liberty  to  enter  what  occu- 
pation suits  him,  to  come  and  go  as  he  pleases, 
to  work  or  quit  work  at  his  own  option,  to  earn 
and  use  his  money  as  he  pleases,  and  he  acts  in 
all  respects  as  any  other  free  man  may  act.  If 
he  has  borrowed  money  to  help  him  come,  like 
any  other  man  he  is  under  contract  to  repay  the 
amount.  He  seeks  connection  with  friends,  or 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

with  employment  agencies,  in  the  same  way  as 
others. 

The  famous  ‘‘Chinese  Six  Companies/ ’ sup- 
posedly a sort  of  contract  labor  bureau  or  slave- 
dealing company,  are  simply  six  separate  and 
voluntary  associations  of  Chinese  from  several 
localities,  formed  for  purely  legitimate  purposes 
of  mutual  aid  and  protection  in  a strange  land. 
Formerly  almost  all  Chinese  coming  from  China 
allied  themselves  with  one  or  another  of  these 
Six  Companies  according  to  their  respective  dis- 
tricts, which  is  the  natural  thing  to  do,  and  is  the 
universal  custom  in  their  own  country.  But 
these  companies  do  not  invite  nor  contract  for 
laborers  to  come  here,  do  not  govern  them  and 
are  not  responsible  for  them.  The  Chinese  who 
through  this  co-operative  agency  obtain  assist- 
ance and  employment,  repay  a certain  stipulated 
sum  for  the  assistance  given  and  for  maintenance 
of  this  bureau ; but  they  are  no  more  slaves  than 
are  the  multitudes  of  our  teachers  and  other  pro- 
fessional men  who  secure  positions  through  an 
agency  or  a bureau  and  pay  a premium  for  its 
aid. 

Do  not  Chinese  work  for  starvation  wages,  and 
so  disturb  our  economic  system  ? Inquiries  show 
that  in  whatever  kind  of  work  they  engage,  agri- 
culture, mining,  manufacture,  domestic  service, 
clerical  work,  etc.,  Chinese  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
command  as  high  wages  as  is  paid  to  white  peo- 
ple for  similar  service  in  our  Atlantic  or  Middle 
States.  In  spite  of  all  the  outcry  against  Asi- 
atics, wages  in  all  lines  for  white  labor  are  higher 
in  California  than  in  States  without  Chinese.  So 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 


far  from  depriving  white  men  of  profitable  em- 
ployment, only  the  work  of  Chinese  makes  it 
possible  at  all  to  conduct  several  important  in- 
dustries which  give  high  wages  to  much  skilled 
white  labor.  Much  of  the  lowly  labor  of  Cali- 
fornia, such  as  grading  railroads,  draining 
marshes,  picking  fruits,  raising  vegetables,  do- 
mestic service  and  unskilled  labor  in  some  manu- 
facture, would  be  altogether  lacking  but  for  Chi- 
nese, and  to  be  without  this  would  work  ruin  to 
multitudes  of  white  people  whose  higher  labor 
and  wages  are  made  possible  only  by  Chinese.  It 
always  has  been,  and  to  this  day  is,  the  testi- 
mony of  farmers,  fruit  growers,  manufacturers, 
housekeepers,  hotel  keepers,  etc.,  that  not  only 
cannot  California  do  without  our  Chinese  fellow- 
laborers,  but  that  wre  need  several  thousands 
more  of  them,  and  that  only  an  increase  of  this 
kind  of  labor  makes  possible  a corresponding  in- 
crease in  higher  priced  white  labor. 

Chinese  do  not  compete  in  skilled  labor;  nor 
are  they  employed  in  the  building  trades  nor  on 
Government  works.  Once  and  again  have  com- 
missions and  employers  found  that  sufficient 
white  labor  is  not  obtainable  at  any  price;  and 
no  man  or  woman  in  California  who  is  willing 
to  work  need  be  out  of  well-remunerated 
employment. 

The  facts  of  fifty  years  do  not  sustain  these 
incriminating  charges  against  Chinese. 

Are  not  the  Chinese  a low  and  inferior  people  ? 
True,  they  have  not  for  some  time  kept  pace 
with  our  scientific  and  material  progress;  but 
the  maintenance  of  their  great  nation  indicates 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


intellectual  ability  of  a high  order.  Up  to  a 
few  hundred  years  ago  China  was  the  foremost 
civilization  of  the  world  in  point  of  scientific 
knowledge,  literary  culture  and  political  organ- 
ization. After  a period  of  quiescence  they  find 
some  other  nations  in  advance  of  them,  and  they 
are  new,  with  large  companies  of  students  and 
many  commissions,  making  most  laudable  efforts 
to  advance.  It  is  the  common  experience  in  our 
schools  and  colleges  where  Chinese  students  are 
in  democratic  association  and  competition  with 
all  others,  that  they  are  not  a whit  inferior  in 
native  ability,  in  intellectual  acumen,  in  esthetic 
responsiveness  or  practical  ethics  to  their^  com- 
petitors, and  that  they  take  at  least  their  fair 
share  of  academic  honors,  albeit  handicapped 
with  a foreign  tongue.  We  deceive  ourselves 
and  do  them  a wrong  by  thinking  of  them  as 
intellectually  inferior. 

Is  it  not  a danger  to  the  country  to  admit 
large  numbers  of  unassimilable  people?  Cer- 
tainly; but  if  you  are  speaking  of  Chinese  your 
premise  is  wrong.  Certain  conditions  are  neces- 
sary to  assimilation,  whether  in  the  animal  body 
or  in  the  body  politic.  Deprive  the  tadpole  of 
his  tail : he  may  come  to  be  a frog,  but  will  have 
no  hind  legs.  So  if  we  deprive  them  of  the  possi- 
bilities, duties,  privileges  and  responsibilities  of 
citizenship,  exclude  them  from  our  public 
schools,  and  otherwise  isolate  and  ostracize 
them,  our  politicians  need  not  wonder  that  Chi- 
nese are  hard  to  assimilate.  But  here  again  ac- 
tual conditions  belie  the  charges.  Thousands  of 
Chinese  have  their  interests  here,  live  in  good 


Chinese  Missions  on  Onr  Pacific  Coast 

homes  with  modern  conveniences  and  esthetic 
culture,  dress  as  we  dress,  eat  as  we  eat,  and  lack 
only  the  ballot  to  make  them  as  good  citizens  as 
any  ever  naturalized.  Many  Europeans  and 
Americans  in  the  Orient  have  married  Chinese 
wives;  some  such  inter-race  marriages  occur  in 
America,  and  families  of  healthy  children  are 
born,  provihg  just  as  ready  assimilation  of  Chi- 
nese as  of  Germans  or  Irish.  Many  Chinese  now 
with  us  and  in  every  way  worthy,  would  wel- 
come the  possibility  of  becoming  bona  fide  and 
loyal  citizens.  It  is  true  also  that  we  have  not 
offered  our  civilization  to  them  in  the  most 
attractive  form  or  manner. 

Are  not  Chinese  superstitious,  idolatrous, 
wicked,  depraved  and  vicious  to  the  extent  of 
moral  peril  to  our  Nation?  Any  wicked  people 
are  a moral  peril.  The  Chinese  are  a pagan 
people,  mostly  worshippers  of  idols,  hence  very 
superstitious.  They  erect  their  theatres  and  joss 
houses  (idol  temples)  in  almost  every  Chinese 
community,  and  institute  their  traditional  wor- 
ship. This  worship,  while  not  of  the  highest 
nature  and  not  most  elevating,  is  not  obscene 
nor  lawless.  It  shows,  moreover,  that  they  are 
essentially  a religious  people.  Some  of  them, 
as  individuals,  are  “ wicked,  depraved,  vicious, 
a moral  danger ” to  a community;  but  it  is  only 
their  due  to  say  that  they  are  no  more  so  than 
any  one  of  a dozen  other  nationalities  which  we 
welcome  to  our  shores. 

Chinatown  of  San  Francisco  has  its  joss 
houses  for  pagan  worship,  but  is  no  more 
4 ‘wicked,  depraved,  vicious  and  a moral  danger” 

Sig.  1 1 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

than  the  adjacent  Italian,  Portuguese  or  Greek 
quarters.  Chinese  are  accused  of  polluting  our 
moral  atmosphere,  but  no  one  has  ever  heard  of 
a white  youth  taking  his  first  step  downward  in 
any  connection  with  Chinese.  Moral  or  civic 
evils  in  any  Chinatown  are  subject  to  the  same 
conditions  as  in  any  other  parts  of  our  cities. 
The  same  honest  city  administration  would  anni- 
hilate them,  as  the  winking  and  conniving  of 
the  authorities  perpetuates  them. 

It  has  seemed  expedient  to  mention  these 
things  to  clear  the  mind  of  the  “ gentle  reader” 
of  any  possible  pre judical  misapprehension  of 
the  Chinese  as  a people,  and  to  suggest  the  un- 
fairness, insincerity,  misrepresentation  and  arti- 
ficiality with  which  the  Chinese  are  met  and 
pursued  among  us.  Everywhere  they  are  im- 
pressed with  our  prejudice,  dishonesty  and  in- 
justice. Unjust  laws  have  discriminated  against 
them;  but  our  promotion  companies,  shipping 
concerns  and  shyster  lawyers  combine  to  help 
them  violate  the  laws  and  perjure  the  courts, 
and  to  bring  them  here.  We  condemn  them  for 
their  vices  and  fine  them  for  their  presence ; but 
their  courtesans  came  first  only  upon  the  solici- 
tation and  for  the  gratification  of  white  men, 
and  many  a lawyer  and  city  officer  has  padded 
his  pocket  in  protecting  the  evil  traffic.  Our 
leading  educators,  most  intelligent  citizens, 4 ‘ cap- 
tains of  industry,”  and  all  Christian  opinion, 
are  unanimous  that  Chinese  have  been  and  are 
now  needed  on  this  coast  in  considerable  num- 
bers, but  we  permit  them  to  be  abused,  mal- 
treated, robbed,  banished,  killed  at  the  hands 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 


of  a hoodlum  element  incited  by  political  dema- 
gogues or  irresponsible  agitators. 

Inaugurating  or  maintaining  Christian  work 
among  people  thus  treated  is  attended  with 
peculiar  difficulties.  Yet  scarcely  had  the  first 
little  company  of  Chinese  come  to  California, 
in  1852,  than  some  Christian  work  was  begun 
among  them.  Like  all  others,  they  came  at- 
tracted by  gold  and  good  wages;  and  still  they 
call  this  region  “The  Golden  Mountains. ” The 
greatest  number  of  Chinese  in  this  country  at 
one  time  was  about  150,000.  Surely,  from  an  eco- 
nomic view,  this  was  nothing  to  be  alarmed  at. 
Now  there  are  not  more  than  100,000,  and 
probably  less.  Most  of  these  are  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  and  usually  about  one-fifth  of  all  are  in 
and  about  San  Francisco. 

In  1852  Christian  work  for  Chinese  was  be- 
gun by  Rev.  W.  Speer,  a missionary  from  Can- 
ton. Practically  all  Chinese  in  America  come 
from  the  Kwantung  Province.  In  1853  Mr.  Speer 
opened  the  first  Chinese  church  in  America.  In 
1859  Mr.  A.  W.  Loomis  took  charge,  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Condit  also  soon  joined.  This  work,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  is  the 
oldest  and  one  of  the  most  successful  missions 
among  Chinese  in  America. 

Work  by  Baptists  was  opened  in  Sacramento 
by  Rev.  J.  L.  Shuck  in  1854,  and  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1870.  A Baptist  convert  was  the  first 
Chinese  to  receive  Christian  baptism  in  America. 

The  earliest  Methodist  work  for  Chinese  was 
in  the  form  of  a Sunday  school  in  Sixth  Street 
Church,  Sacramento,  of  which  Dr.  M.  C.  Briggs 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

was  then  pastor.  Mr.  Peter  Bohl,  an  honored 
layman,  was  one  of  the  chief  promoters,  and  is 
still  with  us.  In  reporting  to  the  California 
Conference  that  year,  Dr.  Briggs  said:  “An 

unerring  providence  is  sending  the  Chinese  to 
our  shores  to  be  evangelized  by  the  use  of  our 
language,  beside  Christian  altars  and  amid  the 
associations  of  the  Church  of  the  living  God. ? ’ 

Our  real  work  began,  however,  and  all  Chris- 
tian work  for  Chinese  took  on  new  life  and 
meaning,  when  Rev.  Otis  Gibson  came.  He  had 
spent  some  years  in  our  Foochow  Mission,  and 
knew  something  of  the  spirit  and  genius  of 
things  Chinese.  He  addressed  himself  to  the 
work  with  all  the  vigor  of  a manly  mold,  of  un- 
quenchable faith  in  the  Chinese,  and  a passion- 
ate love  of  God  and  man.  Endowed  with  more 
than  ordinary  common  sense,  and  filled  with  a 
spirit  that  feared  not  the  face  of  man,  he  was 
the  man  to  organize,  promote  and  defend  Chris- 
tian work  among  Chinese.  In  a short  time  he 
had  Chinese  schools  and  congregations  in  ten 
or  a dozen  of  the  principal  Chinese  communities 
on  this  coast,  and  so  well  and  wisely  planted 
w^ere  they  that  most  of  them  continue  to  this 
day.  A few  were  abandoned  owing  to  migra- 
tions of  the  Chinese.  San  Francisco,  Stockton, 
Sacramento,  San  Jose,  Santa  Clara,  Grass  Val- 
ley, Chico,  Nevada,  Marysville,  Santa  Cruz, 
Salem  and  Portland  were  all  centers  of  system- 
atic efforts  at  evangelization,  and  all  scenes  of 
Christian  grace  and  triumph. 

Mr.  Gibson  early  realized  the  need  of  a cen- 
tral plant,  and  began  canvass  for  funds.  By 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 


his  personal  solicitation  much  was  secured,  and 
by  the  aid  of  the  Missionary  Society  a lot  was 
purchased  at  916  Yfashington  Street,  San  Fran- 
cisco, a building  was  erected,  the  whole  property 
costing  $32,000,  and  dedicated  on  Christmas 
Day,  1870. 

What  hallowed  memories  arise  in  a multitude 
of  Chinese  minds  at  mention  of  that  street  and 
number.  Literally  thousands  of  Chinese  have 
here  found  a touch  of  inspiration.  It  is  known 
that  Christian  Chinese,  and  others,  are  now  liv- 
ing in  many  parts  of  the  world  who  here  were 
first  befriended  and  given  the  helpful  hand. 
The  name  of  Otis  Gibson  is  perhaps  better 
known  among  Chinese  in  America  than  that  of 
any  other  American.  He  was  pastor,  teacher, 
friend,  adviser  and  tower  of  defense.  Their  con- 
fidence in  him  never  failed.  Through  years  of 
bitter  and  bloody  persecution,  through  obloquy 
and  hate,  hanged  and  burned  in  effigy,  publicly 
threatened  by  a great  daily  newspaper,  fined  and 
imprisoned,  assaulted  and  stoned,  Otis  Gibson 
was  Sir  Knight  in  defense  of  a helpless  people 
and  in  maintenance  of  constitutional  rights. 

What  most  acceptable  and  effective  forms  of 
service  can  we  institute?  was  the  first  question. 
He  asks : ‘ 4 How  may  this  strange  element  of  our 
population  be  made  to  aid  in  the  development  of 
the  resources  of  our  country  and  add  to  our 
national  prosperity,  while  we,  on  our  part,  intro- 
duce them  to  our  higher  civilization  and  holier 
faith?  Will  not  a system  of  education  in  the 
English  language  be  an  efficient  means  of  ac- 
complishing this  desired  result  ? As  a knowledge 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

of  our  language  becomes  common  among  them 
may  we  not  look  for  these  results  ? The  Chinese 
will  gradually  lose  their  clannishness  and  more 
readily  adopt  our  customs,  our  civilization,  our 
country  and  our  religion. ” 

There  is  no  ‘‘driveling  sentimentalism ’ ? here. 
Evening  schools  were  opened  and  have  been  con- 
tinued as  a right  arm  of  the  service  and  oppor- 
tunity to  this  time.  “Wisdom  is  justified  in 
her  children.  ” These  schools  prove  powerful 
agencies  in  molding  the  changing  civilization 
of  Chinese  in  America.  An  optional  fee  of  one 
dollar  a month  was  charged.  Some  paid ; others 
did  not.  Nowhere  in  our  work  is  a fee  now 
charged,  but  the  scholars  pay  the  running  ex- 
penses by  voluntary  offerings. 

How  many  thousands  of  Chinese  have  re- 
ceived more  or  less  instruction  from  these  schools 
it  is  not  possible  now  to  tell ; and  these  all  came 
under  religious  instruction.  Nor  can  it  be  known 
in  how  many  souls  a spark  of  divine  inspiration 
was  felt.  The  records  and  careful  inquiries 
show  that  about  one  thousand  Chinese  have  been 
converted  and  connected  with  our  Church  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  not  a few  of  these  have  been 
won  by  these  schools. 

Evangelism  has  always  been  the  prime  object 
and  keynote  of  all  our  efforts;  for  “The  tree  of 
knowledge  is  not  that  of  life.”  The  first  native 
preacher  here  was  Rev.  Hwui  Sing  Mei,  from 
Foochow.  Soon  Dr.  Gibson  had  about  him  a 
class  of  earnest  young  men  which  he  was  pre- 
paring for  Christian  work,  some  of  whom  in  due 
time  came  into  the  service.  So  vigorous  was  the 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 

propaganda  that  in  San  Francisco  Mission  alone 
over  five  thousand  different  Chinese  heard  the 
Gospel  in  one  year.  Abundant  experience  both 
in  China  and  in  America  shows  that  by  all  the 
tests  we  apply — subjective  or  objective— Chinese 
are  capable  of  becoming  as  true  exponents  of 
Christian  graces  and  virtues  as  any  other  race 
of  people. 

We  cannot  in  small  compass  follow  in  detail 
the  heroic  and  often  militant  service  of  Otis 
Gibson  for  the  Chinese  in  California.  In  the 
mission  rooms  and  on  the  streets  he  held  up  a 
crucified  and  glorified  Saviour ; among  the 
crowds  on  the  corners  or  the  mobs  on  the  sand- 
lots,  and  often  before  the  courts,  he  fearlessly 
defended  the  Chinese  in  their  rights;  watching 
the  legislation,  he  b.oldly  protested  to  municipal, 
State  or  Federal  Government  against  the  de- 
vices of  wicked  men.  He  was  a leader  in  move- 
ments for  sane  and  humane  treatment  of  an 
abused  people;  and  though  he  could  not  fully 
stem  the  tide  of  popular  prejudice  and  avert  all 
cruel,  unjust  and  unworthy  legislation,  it  is  gen- 
erally recognized  that  he  materially  ameliorated 
conditions  of  Chinese  living. 

From  1868  to  1884  Otis  Gibbon  continued  his 
apostolic  labors,  in  journeys  much,  in  perils  oft, 
by  voice  and  pen  in  public  and  in  private,  plant- 
ing missions  and  promoting  Christian  literature, 
leading  the  Chinese  into  a true  experience  of 
religion,  training  them  in  disciplinary  way  to 
distinguish  between  acceptable  and  .prohibited 
conduct,  and  inducting  them  into  the  various 
disciplinary,  ritualistic  and  voluntary  means  of 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

grace  and  service  characteristic  of  Methodism. 
Some  of  the  value  of  all  this  became  apparent 
years  later.  His  book,  “The  Chinese  in  Amer- 
ica,” is  readable  and  thrilling  as  a novel,  and 
full  of  information.  Its  equal  in  matter  and 
manner  is  still  needed  to  bring  the  history  down 
to  the  present. 

No  sweeping  revivals  of  religion  occurred 
among  Chinese  during  this  period,  but  there  was 
steady  gathering.  The  necessary  ground  work 
of  Christian  consciousness  was  not  yet  formed. 
But  many  an  individual  brand  was  plucked 
from  the  burning.  In  1882  he  could  report  in 
defense  of  his  work  against  the  animadversions 
of  his  critics  that  some  three  hundred  Chinese 
had  been  converted  to  the  Christian  faith  and 
life  by  the  work  on  this  coast.  Rightly  did  he 
appeal  to  such  results  as  justifying  the  work  of 
the  Church,  and  as  sufficient  ground  of  hope  for 
Chinese  and  reason  for  fair  treatment  of 
them. 

In  the  early  winter  of  1884  Rev.  F.  J.  Masters, 
returning  with  his  family  on  furlough  after  ten 
years  of  service  in  the  Wesleyan  Mission  in  Can- 
ton, visited  our  Chinese  Mission  in  Oakland.  By 
invitation  he  preached  in  the  Cantonese  dialect. 
The  Chinese  were  delighted,  and  felt  that  an 
angel  of  Cod  had  come  to  them.  Dr.  Gibson’s 
great  heart  gave  him  glad  welcome  and  abun- 
dant opportunity,  and  during  the  ensuing  few 
months  of  his  sojourn  in  California,  Mr.  Mas- 
ters was  much  in  demand  and  did  great  service 
among  the  Chinese.  Dr.  Gibson  greatly  regret- 
ted the  necessity  of  losing  such  a fellow-worker 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 

when  Mr.  Masters  proceeded  to  England  in  the 
early  spring  of  1885. 

Within  a few  weeks  after,  the  man  who  for 
sixteen  years  had  maintained  such  strenuous 
and  incessant  labors,  suddenly  and  totally  failed 
in  health.  This  was  not  expected,  but  he  had 
4 1 fought  a good  fight  and  finished  his  course.’ ’ 
A militant  career  came  to  a victorious  end. 
Otis  Gibson  had  kept  and  advanced  the  faith, 
and  in  1889  he  passed  to  his  reward. 

Immediately  the  thought  of  all  was  upon  Mr. 
Masters.  In  response  to  the  urgent  solicitation 
of  Mrs.  Gibson,  Bishop  Fowler  and  many  others, 
he  consented  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  fallen 
chief. 

Frederick  J.  Masters  came  regally  equipped 
for  service.  A fine  physique  and  personal  ap- 
pearance, in  the  full  strength  of  robust  man- 
hood, a well-disciplined  mind,  an  extensive  ex- 
perience, wide  knowledge  and  fluent  use  of  the 
Cantonese  dialect,  a gentle  and  kind  disposition, 
unbounded  faith  in  the  Chinese  and  enthusiasm 
for  his  work,  the  constraining  love  of  Christ — 
these  were  some  of  the  characteristics  of  this  Sir 
Galahad.  From  the  moment  of  his  entering 
upon  the  work  no  one,  Chinese  or  American, 
ever  doubted  his  fitness  or  his  divine  call,  and 
each  succeeding  year  only  strengthened  the  con- 
fidence of  all  who  knew  him. 

Those  were  strenuous  days  and  Dr.  Masters 
never  shirked.  From  Puget  Sound  to  San  Diego, 
all  up  and  down  the  coast,  he  carried  the  sweet 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  to  the  despised  and 
abused  sons  of  China.  His  genius  for  organiza- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


tion  was  not  less  than  his  gift  of  speech.  Owing 
to  the  migrations  of  Chinese  it  requires  frequent 
adjustment  to  keep  the  work  following  their 
settlements.  Some  of  his  own  words  will  show 
both  his  ideals  and  some  results  of  the  work: 

4 ‘ Our  week-night  service  is  a grand  sight:  There 
are  present  from  sixty  to  eighty  of  the  most 
intelligent  young  men  in  Chinatown,  twenty  of 
whom  remain  every  night  for  study  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures. ’ 9 “The  Gospel  has  been  preached 
to  larger  numbers  than  ever  before.  Several 
new  missions  have  been  opened.  Three  Chinese 
have  offered  themselves  to  be  received  on  trial 
in  this  Conference — the  first  in  the  history  of 
the  Mission,  1894.  The  attendance  at  the  even- 
ing schools  has  greatly  increased.  Many  have 
become  earnest  students  of  the  Word.”  “There 
is  every  reason  to  believe  the  whole  Mission  is 
in  the  dawn  of  a genuine  revival.  The  teachers 
are  active;  the  preachers  are  vigorous,  aggres- 
sive and  full  of  spiritual  energy,  not  simply  per- 
forming their  duty,  but  conducting  a great  cam- 
paign against  sin  entrenched  in  these  old  strong- 
holds of  idolatry.  Our  brethren  of  the  Chinese 
Mission  have  indeed  found  that  the  Gospel  is 
the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  even  among 
their  own  people.  They  have  been  earnestly  and 
powerfully  preaching  the  Word  of  God.”  “The 
revival  has  been  more  than  a prophecy.  Seven 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  have  been  converted 
in  the  twenty-five  years  of  this  Mission,  and  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  during  this  conference 
year.  At  special  services  in  San  Francisco 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 


forty-two  were  converted.  Twenty  were  for- 
ward for  prayer  in  one  evening. 7 7 

Such  work  as  this  is  worthy  the  support  of 
the  Church,  and  such  results  crowned  the  con- 
secrated labors  of  this  apostle  to  the  Chinese. 
Dr.  Masters  accomplished  prodigious  labors.  In 
one  year  he  preached  two  hundred  times  in  Chi- 
nese, besides  numerous  addresses  and  sermons 
in  English,  and  a vast  variety  of  activities  in 
organization  and  in  literary  work  that  indicate 
great  versatility.  In  1898  the  conference  re- 
quested the  General  Missionary  Committee  to 
appoint  him  Superintendent  of  the  Chinese  Mis- 
sions on  all  the  Pacific  Coast.  Not  yet,  however, 
is  the  work  thus  unified. 

The  work  for  women  has  kept  pace  with  that 
for  men.  Perhaps  the  difficulties  in  this  have 
been  even  greater  than  in  that.  Prom  the  first 
the  top  story  of  the  Mission  building  was  de- 
voted exclusively  to  a female  department.  Dr. 
Gibson  at  once  called  upon  the  women  of  Pacific 
Coast  Methodism  to  organize  for  the  work.  The 
“Woman’s  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  on  the  Pacific  Coast77  was  or- 
ganized in  August,  1871,  as  auxiliary  to  the  Gen- 
eral Missionary  Society,  “for  the  elevation  and 
salvation  of  heathen  women  on  this  coast. 77  The 
charter  of  the  W.  P.  M.  S.  prevented  the  desired 
connection  with  that  Society ; and  not  until  1893 
was  it  deemed  expedient  to  make  this  an  organic 
part  of  the  W.  H.  M.  S.  This  part  was  then 
designated  “The  Oriental  Bureau. 77 

The  sphere  of  activity  and  the  modus  operandi 
were  definite.  Three  thousand  Chinese  women 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


in  San  Francisco,  and  as  many  more  scattered 
along  our  western  coast.  Perhaps  a hundred  of 
these  were  legitimate  first  wives;  several  hun- 
dreds are  secondary  wives,  according  to  Chinese 
custom;  some  five  hundred  are  married  accord- 
ing to  American  laws  and  customs ; most  of  them 
were  slave  girls,  all  were  idolaters.  The  mental 
and  spiritual  condition  of  these  women,  with 
their  physical  and  social  surroundings,  defy  de- 
scription, and  made  Christian  work  for  and 
among  them  both  difficult  and  dangerous.  Add 
to  this  two  thousand  Chinese  children,  mostly 
born  in  this  country,  growing  up  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  to  be  future  citizens,  for  whom  no 
adequate  provision  is  made  in  the  public  schools. 

Women  workers  were  employed,  and  the  three 
lines  of  effort:  rescue  work,  house-to-house  visi- 
tation and  a children’s  school  in  the  Mission, 
were  carried  on  energetically  and  heroically. 

We  need  not  here  describe  the  wicked  devices 
of  men,  both  American  and  Chinese,  for  unlaw- 
fully importing  Chinese  women  and  girls  into 
this  country.  Unwashed  heathenism  was  never 
more  foul  than  were  those  white  persons  who 
initiated,  promoted,  protected  and  profited  by 
this  human  merchandise.  The  missionaries  in 
this  work  had  to  deal  not  only  with  a class  of 
Chinese  women  degraded  in  body,  mind  and  soul, 
but  with  organized  gangs  of  desperadoes  who 
hesitated  not  at  physical  violence,  and  with  con- 
scienceless pettifoggers  who  from  one  side  of 
their  mouth  denounced  the  Chinese  and  from 
the  other  side  protected  their  evils  and  reviled 
the  missionaries.  Owing  to  the  courage  of  these 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 


workers  and  the  integrity  of  some  immigration 
officials;  this  evil  has  markedly  decreased. 
Among  no  other  people  who  come  to  our  shores 
has  Christian  work  met  such  monumental  oppo- 
sition ; and  this  opposition  is  almost  entirely  due, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  the  instigation  of  white 
people. 

Among  those  connected  with  the  work  of  the 
Eescue  Home  may  be  mentioned  Mrs.  Jane 
Walker,  Mrs.  Ida  Hull,  Miss  Marguerite  Lake 
and  Miss  Carrie  Davis.  The  wonderful  record 
shows  scarcely  less  than  five  hundred  women  and 
children  delivered  from  bondage  and  abuse. 
Nearly  two  hundred  of  these  have  become  mem- 
bers of  our  Church.  The  greater  part  have  re- 
turned to  friends  in  China;  some  have  become 
helpful  Christian  workers;  more  than  a hundred 
have  married  and  made  Christian  homes.  The 
missionarv  meets  all  incoming  steamers  from  the 
Orient,  and  visits  among  the  homes  of  China, 
town,  as  she  is  recognized  by  the  customs  and 
city  authorities  as  a valuable  helper  in  righteous- 
ness. 

A few  names  should  be  mentioned  of  elect 
ladies  who  have  given  time  and  service  in  teach- 
ing and  in  administration : Mrs.  Otis  Gibson,  Mr?. 
Goodall,  Mrs.  McElroy,  Miss  M.  E.  Williams, 
Miss  Templeton,  Mrs.  Kate  Lake,  Miss  Hum- 
phrey, Mrs.  Tomkinson,  Mrs.  Downs,  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell, Mrs.  Chan  Hon  Pan,  Mrs.  Masters,  Mrs. 
Williams,  Mrs.  P.  D.  Bovard,  Mrs.  M.  C.  Harris, 
Miss  Heath  and  many  others  who  have  helped 
to  make  the  Oriental  Home  a way  of  salvation 
and  a “gate  of  heaven’ ’ for  so  many.  The 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

average  number  of  inmates  of  the  Home  is  about 
twenty-five.  A kindergarten  is  maintained  with 
average  attendance  of  thirty-five.  Day  and 
Sunday-school  work  brings  many  more  children 
under  Christian  influence  and  instruction. 

In  the  year  1900  a new  building  was  erected 
at  912  Washington  Street,  in  which  was  housed 
all  the  various  departments.  Unfortunately, 
this  plant,  like  that  at  916,  and  all  Chinatown, 
with  so  much  of  the  city,  was  destroyed  in  the 
disaster  of  1906. 

In  1895  a Mission  and  Rescue  Home  was 
opened  in  San  Diego  by  Mrs.  T.  S.  Turk,  for 
similar  work.  Early  in  1896  Mrs.  T.  P.  Davis 
opened  a mission  in  Los  Angeles,  which  has  been 
in  affiliation  with  the  San  Francisco  branch. 
In  medical  work  Mrs.  Davis,  and  in  rescue  work 
Miss  Nora  Bankes,  continue  in  helpful  ministra- 
tion to  a people  too  much  neglected,  and  steady 
fruitage  in  rescued  and  redeemed  lives  is  being 
reaped. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  work  for  Chi- 
nese, Japanese  began  coming  to  this  country, 
and  they  too  were  included  in  the  beneficent 
efforts  of  the  Mission,  as  they  also  were  glad  of 
the  opportunities  afforded.  This  continued  for 
many  years,  and  many  Japanese  were  saved.  In 
1883  K.  Meyama  was  licensed  to  preach.  Early 
in  1886  a separate  place  was  secured  at  920 
Washington  Street,  for  Japanese  work,  and  the 
name  of  T.  Hasegawa  appears  as  a worker.  By 
the  middle  of  that  year  Dr.  M.  C.  Harris,  now 
Bishop  Harris,  came  to  take  charge  of  all  our 
Japanese  work  on  the  coast. 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 


Were  there  space  we  could  tell  of  some  notable 
conversions,  and  the  founding  of  branch  mis- 
sions from  this  parent  stem.  Meyama  became 
an  earnest  evangel,  opening  Christian  work  for 
Japanese  in  Honolulu,  and  later  returning  for 
the  same  work  in  Japan.  Chan  Kiu  Sing,  con- 
verted in  San  Jose,  has  been  for  many  years  a 
very  helpful  supply  local  preacher  in  Los  An- 
geles. Little  self-supporting  missions  have  been 
founded  in  several  places  in  America  by  Chris- 
tian Chinese  migrating  from  these  coast  mis- 
sions. In  1889  Lum  Foon,  fulfilling  his  vow,  re- 
turned to  Heang  Shan  as  a self-supporting 
Christian  missionary.  A converted  Chinese  re- 
turns for  a visit  to  his  ancestral  home,  opens  a 
school  for  girls  before  coming  back  to  this  coun- 
try, and  continues  to  support  it.  Another  opened 
a boys’  school  in  Canton.  Ofttimes  have  Chinese 
Methodists  in  this  country  petitioned  our  For- 
eign Missionary  Society  to  open  a mission  in  the 
Kwantung  Province,  whence  come  all  the  Chi- 
nese here,  but  hitherto  it  has  seemed  impossible 
or  inexpedient.  But  the  Chinese  are  loyal  to 
their  Church.  Not  willing  to  change  their  affilia- 
tion, and  feeling  the  need  of  Methodism  there, 
returning  Christians  have  organized  an  inde- 
pendent Methodist  mission.  The  work  is  en- 
tirely supported  by  Chinese  Methodists  in  Amer- 
ica. They  have  spent  thousands  of  dollars  for 
property,  have  a chapel,  parsonage,  with  girls’ 
and  boys’  schools,  and  are  opening  new  stations. 
This  is  a vital  part  of  our  mission  on  this  side 
of  the  Pacific.  The  preacher,  Eev.  Yue  Kwai, 
was  sent  from  here,  is  a member  of  the  Cali- 


Methodism  and  the  Kepublic 

fornia  Conference,  and  was  ordained  an  Elder 
by  Bishop  Bashford  in  Canton.  All  this  is  evi- 
dence of  their  Christian  faith  and  their  Metho- 
dist loyalty,  as  it  testifies  to  the  vitality  of  our 
work  on  this  coast,  and  is  a standing  invitation 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  enter  that 
open  door.  The  Chinese  Mission  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  has  been  a mother  of  missions,  home  and 
foreign.  Such  men  as  Fong  Sui,  Walter  Fong, 
Chan  Lok  Shang,  Lee  Tong  Hay,  Chan  Hon 
Fan,  who  has  served  the  Mission  more  years  than 
any  other  worker,  and  many  others,  have  been 
a credit  to  Christian  character  and  service. 

In  1897  Dr.  Masters  wTas  able  to  report  that 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  persons  had  been  con- 
verted during  the  twenty-five  years  of  the  Mis- 
sion. Up  to  the  present  about  one  thousand  Chi- 
nese have  been  saved  from  paganism,  many  of 
whom  have  died  in  the  faith,  many  returned  for 
helpful  life  and  service  in  China,  and  many 
are  still  with  us  scattered  throughout  America. 
A little  kindly  inquiry  often  discovers  Chris- 
tians where  we  did  not  expect  to  find  them.  Let 
this  be  a suggestive  word  to  all  Christian  people. 

The  work  under  Dr.  Masters  continued  to 
grow,  as  he  was  ever  adding  to  his  multiform 
activities.  Preaching  and  preparing  preachers; 
organizing  missions;  preparing  literature,  Eng- 
lish and  Chinese;  in  Sunday-school  and  class 
meeting ; in  chapel,  Gospel  hall  and  on  the 
street;  by  platform,  press  and  pulpit,  incessant 
service  was  his  joy.  This  constant  strenuousness 
was  too  much  for  even  his  robust  manhood,  and 
in  January,  1900,  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  his 


Chinese  Missions  on  Our  Pacific  Coast 

service  (like  his  precedessor) , he  was  suddenly 
called  to  lay  down  the  burden  and  the  care  to 
4 'come  up  higher  and  behold  my  glory.’ ’ 

Monuments  of  stone  stand  in  the  cemeteries 
for  Gibson  and  Masters,  but  their  greatest  monu- 
ment is  in  the  work  they  organized,  in  the  hun- 
dreds of  redeemed  men  and  women  and  in  the 
esteem  of  at  least  forty  thousand  Chinese  who 
have  felt  the  helpful  touch  of  their  sanctified 
service. 

For  six  years  after  Dr.  Masters’  death  over- 
sight of  the  Chinese  Mission  was  with  Drs.  F.  D. 
Bovard,  H.  D.  Hammond,  H.  B.  Seacock  and 
Thomas  Filben  consecutively,  all  members  of  the 
California  Conference.  But  as  none  of  these 
was  acquainted  with  the  Chinese  or  their  lan- 
guage, it  was  felt  to  be  only  a temporary  expe- 
dient. In  1906  Rev.  Edward  James,  who  had 
spent  ten  years  in  our  Central  China  Mission, 
came  to  take  up  the  work.  It  is  no  light  task, 
for  many  perplexities  attend  the  work  for  Chi- 
nese in  America  not  experienced  in  China.  Yet 
the  response  of  Chinese  to  the  Gospel  is  encour- 
aging and  assuring.  Invidious  discriminations, 
ill-treatment,  political  disability,  social  ostra- 
cism and  violent  prejudice  have  embittered 
many;  but  everywhere  they  recognize  Christian 
workers,  American  or  Chinese,  as  their  friends. 
Our  schools  and  services  are  well  attended ; 
street  meetings  gather  crowds  of  respectful  hear- 
ers ; children  of  the  second  and  third  generations 
are  coming  on. 

Up  to  1904  the  Chinese  work  had  been  consid- 
ered as  a District  of  the  Conference;  but  that 

Sig.  i2 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

General  Conference  constituted  all  the  work  in 
California  a separate  mission.  Present  statistics 


are  as  follows. 

Stations  9 

Chinese  workers  7 

Members  226 

Probationers  57 

Sunday-school  scholars  222 

Benevolent  collections  for  current  year $664 


However  future  legislation  may  affect  the 
numbers  of  Chinese  coming  to  America  is  no 
part  of  this  discussion.  Present  facts  and  con- 
ditions are  sufficient  stimulus  to  greatest  en- 
deavor. The  existence  of  so  many  Chinese  now 
among  us ; the  increasing  number  of  native  born, 
who  are  eligible  for  citizenship ; the  great  possi- 
bilities of  the  Chinese  as  individuals  and  as  a 
people;  the  expediency  and  eternal  rightness  of 
cultivating  friendly  relations  with  neighboring 
nations;  the  unique  position  of  America  as  the 
embodiment  and  exponent  of  the  highest  civil 
and  religious  life  and  institutions  yet  developed ; 
the  certainty  that  if  we  do  not  Christianize  the 
Chinese  they  will  paganize  us — all  these  and 
other  considerations  impose  obligations,  responsi- 
bilities and  necessities  which  we  cannot  escape, 
and  give  us  unequaled  prestige  and  opportunity 
for  evangelizing  the  Chinese. 


EVANGELIZATION  OF  THE 
JAPANESE  IN  AMERICA 


HERBERT  B.  JOHNSON,  D.D.,  SUPERINTENDENT 


In  the  opinion  of  a large  and  increasing  num- 
ber, the  immigration  of  Japanese  to  this  coun- 
try is  one  of  the  living  questions  of  the  day.  It 
is  many-sided,  and  needs  to  be  considered  with 
the  greatest  care.  There  is  great  danger  from  an 
agitation  against  any  race,  whether  Hebrew, 
Negro,  Chinese  or  Japanese.  There  is  special 
danger  in  the  present  agitation  against  the  Jap- 
anese in  California.  In  succeeding  paragraphs 
some  observations  will  be  found  touching  the 
discrimination  against  the  Japanese,  particu- 
larly with  reference  to  its  bearing  on  Christian 
work. 

However  this  immigration  question  is  settled, 
it  is  clear  that  there  are  already  Japanese 
enough  here,  right  at  our  doors,  to  demand  the 
best  efforts  of  the  Christian  Church;  and,  from 
past  experience,  it  is  equally  clear  that  it  pays 
well  to  do  this  work,  both  from  its  results  in 
this  country  and  from  its  influence  in  Japan. 
The  opportunities  of  today  and  the  possibilities 
of  tomorrow  are  very  great.  Equally  so  are  the 
responsibilities  that  are  upon  us. 

Thirty  years  ago,  in  1877,  there  were  not  more 
than  fifty  Japanese  in  San  Francisco,  and  there 
were  comparatively  few  in  other  places  on  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


coast.  Nine  years  before  this,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Japanese  laborers  were  introduced  into  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  The  first  arrivals  on  the 
coast  were  laborers  and  sailors,  but  these  were 
soon  followed  by  students,  who  formed  the  pre- 
dominant class  for  the  next  ten  years.  Mer- 
chants and  professional  men  came  later.  Bishop 
Harris  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  in 
1886  there  was  not  a store  kept  by  a Japanese 
on  the  coast,  but  it  was  not  long  before  one  or 
more  shops  entirely  in  Japanese  hands  were  to 
be  found  in  nearly  all  the  cities  from  Victoria  to 
San  Diego.  There  were  few  women,  and  these 
were  mostly  of  the  baser  sort  who  had  been  en- 
ticed here  by  bad  Americans  and  Chinese.  Again 
quoting  Bishop  Harris,  in  his  report  for  1894: 
‘ ‘ Among  these  thousands  are  but  few  women, 
their  numbers  being  perhaps  less  than  three  hun- 
dred ; unfortunately,  some  of  them  belong  to  the 
disreputable  classes.  Two  years  ago,  the  Jap- 
anese Government  began  to  enforce  the  law 
vigorously  and,  as  a result,  the  coming  of  women 
of  this  class  has  absolutely  ceased.  The  Jap- 
anese people — Christian  and  non-Christian — on 
the  coast  heartily  approve  this  action.  Indeed, 
it  was  largely  through  their  efforts  that  the  Gov- 
ernment became  aware  of  the  existence  of  the 
evil  and  determined  to  suppress  it.” 

As  a result  of  a Treaty  of  Immigration  made 
between  Japan  and  Hawaii  in  1885,  the  first  lot 
of  contract  laborers  arrived  in  Honolulu  that 
year.  These  were  soon  followed  by  others,  and 
it  is  estimated  that  by  1894  there  were  25,000  in 
the  islands.  The  Japanese  population  on  the 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

Pacific  Coast  was  then  not  more  than  7,000,  and 
entirely  different  in  character.  But  an  anti- 
Japanese  feeling  and  agitation  had  begun.  The 
year  1892  recorded  the  arrival  of  1,500, 
the  largest  number  of  any  single  year,  most 
being  unskilled  who  found  employment  on  the 
fruit  and  hop  ranches.  Opposition  on  the  part 
of  labor  unions  was  soon  aroused,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  there  was  no  competition.  The 
students  were  freely  admitted  into  the  schools, 
and  the  laborers  were  welcomed  on  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  labor  and  their  industry,  high 
average  of  moral  conduct  and  ready  conformity 
to  American  customs. 

Nearly  13,000  arrived  during  the  year  ending 
June,  1900.  They  were  distributed  over  the  en- 
tire coast,  and  brought  the  entire  population 
up  to  nearly  35,000.  The  daily  press  of  San 
Francisco  loaned  itself  to  certain  political  and 
labor  agitators,  the  object  being  the  restriction 
of  laborers.  The  Japanese  Government  at  once 
stepped  in,  and  by  stopping  further  emigration 
to  the  coast  allayed  the  agitation.  Of  late  we 
have  heard  so  much  about  the  wonderful  in- 
crease, and  corresponding  menace,  that  it  will 
be  well  to  note  the  figures,  which  are  as  follows : 
1900,  12,635;  1901,  5,269;  1902,  -14,270;  1903, 
19,968;  1904,  14,264;  1905,  10,331,  and  1906, 
13,835.  It  will  be  seen  that  following  the  agi- 
tation and  the  action  of  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment there  was  a decrease,  then  an  increase,  and 
then  a falling  off  again. 

I have  not  space  in  these  pages  to  refer  to 
the  later  agitation,  but  would  call  attention  to 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


a booklet  of  133  pages  recently  issued  by  the 
present  writer,  entitled  “Discrimination  Against 
the  Japanese  in  California:  A Review  of  the 
Real  Situation.”  This  is  introduced  by  Presi- 
dent David  Starr  Jordan,  of  Stanford  Univer- 
sity, who  has  taken  a very  strong  position  against 
the  agitators.  The  booklet  reveals  the  nature  of 
the  campaign  of  extravagance  and  misrepresen- 
tation ; refutes  various  charges ; shows  that  large 
and  influential  classes,  as  educators,  Christian 
bodies,  the  Christian  press  and  farmers  and  fruit 
growers,  defend  the  Japanese;  states  the  real 
issues;  discusses  the  broader  question  of  immi- 
gration; places  the  responsibility  upon  organ- 
ized labor  and  the  Japanese-Korean  Exclusion 
League;  and  points  out  the  real  solution  of  the 
problem.  It  is  designed  for  free  circulation  and 
may  be  had  by  addressing  the  author. 

No  statement  is  more  frequently  made  by 
those  who  are  striving  to  restrict  Japanese  immi- 
gration than  that  it  is  impossible  to  assimilate 
the  Asiatic,  no  distinction  being  made  between 
the  Japanese  and  the  Chinese.  It  is  assumed 
that  intermarriage  is  essential  to  assimilation, 
which  we  do  not  insist  upon  in  the  case  of  the 
Jew.  Unlike  the  Chinese  and  many  immigrants 
from  Europe,  the  Japanese  do  not  huddle  to- 
gether, as  is  clear  from  Secretary  Metcalf’s  re- 
port to  the  President.  He  found  them  scattered 
all  over  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  their  children 
attending  twenty-three  different  schools.  They 
live  in  American  homes,  wear  American  clothing, 
eat  American  food;  in  short,  they  adopt  our 
customs.  The  marvelous  changes  made  in  Japan 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

are  known  to  everybody.  If  in  their  own  land, 
under  circumstances  not  altogether  favorable, 
they  can  assimilate  our  civilization,  we  can 
assimilate  the  few  thousands  that  come  here.  At 
least  we  can  assimilate  them  better  than  we  can 
and  do  assimilate  tens  of  thousands  who  come 
here  from  Europe.  That  there  are  in  our  larger 
cities  undesirable  Japanese,  both  men  and 
women,  no  one  would  attempt  to  deny.  But  that 
they  are  here  in  greater  numbers  or  that  their 
influence  is  worse  than  many  peoples  who  come 
from  Europe,  no  sane  person  would  attempt  to 
assert. 

I again  quote  my  predecessor,  than  whom 
there  is  no  greater  authority  on  conditions 
among  the  Japanese  on  this  coast.  In  one  of  his 
reports,  he  said:  “Few  of  us  feel  the  pathos  of 
the  poor  Japanese  student  in  America.  He 
comes  to  stay  at  least  ten  years,  to  struggle  with 
poverty,  do  menial  service,  sleep  five  hours  out 
of  twenty-four,  encouraged  and  stimulated  by 
the  hope  of  giving  to  his  country  an  honorable 
and  worthy  service.  No  wonder  that  Americans, 
Christians  and  teachers  give  welcome  to  the 
brave  lads  and  help  them  so  generously.  They 
constitute  a unique  element  in  history;  an  in- 
vasion of  a foreign  land  by  an  army  of  youth, 
not  to  despoil  us  but  to  get  the  best  equipment 
for  a useful  life.  Only  Japanese  students  would 
undertake  to  do  it.  America  is  the  only  country 
where  it  could  be  hoped  to  be  done.  They  have 
succeeded.  I found  them  in  Parliament,  the 
learned  professions,  leading  merchants,  writing 
books,  editing  journals,  managers  of  great  indus- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

tries;  and  last  and  greatest,  teachers,  pastors 
and  evangelists — in  a word,  men  who  come  to 
be  factors  for  progress,  enrolled  among  the 
builders  of  Greater  Japan.” 

The  history  of  the  planting  of  the  Christian 
Church  among  the  Japanese  on  this-  coast  is  in- 
tensely interesting,  very  instructive  and  full  of 
inspiration.  It  can  only  be  outlined.  The  name 
and  fame  of  Kanichi  Miyama  is  known  all  over 
the  Pacific  Coast  and  throughout  Hawaii  and 
Japan.  When  there  were  scarcely  fifty  of  his 
countrymen  in  San  Francisco,  in  1877,  with  two 
others  he  sought  a knowledge  of  English  in  the 
Chinese  Mission,  and  found  Christ.  He  became 
the  first  convert  among  his  people  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  first  preacher  among  his  people  on  the 
coast,  the  first  missionary  to  the  Japanese  in 
Hawaii,  one  of  the  first  (if  not  the  very  first) 
evangelistic  preachers  and  pastors  in  Japan,  and 
the  first  temperance  evangelist  among  the  Jap- 
anese on  the  coast,  in  Hawaii  and  in  Japan. 

There  are  four  periods  in  the  thirty  years  of 
Christian  work  among  the  Japanese  on  this 
coast:  From  1877  to  1885,  during  which  the 
work  was  carried  on  by  Brother  Miyama,  in  and 
through  the  Gospel  Society,  which  was  connected 
with  the  Chinese  Mission  under  Dr.  Otis  Gib- 
son and  his  successor,  Dr.  Masters;  1886-1892, 
the  former  date  representing  the  organization 
of  the  Japanese  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
under  Dr.  M.  C.  Harris;  1893-1899,  the  period 
of  the  Japanese  District  of  the  California  Con- 
ference, including  the  new  and  growing  work  in 
Hawaii;  and  1900  to  the  present,  the  Pacific 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

Japanese  Mission — the  first  four  years  under  Dr. 
Harris,  including  Hawaii,  and  the  past  four 
years  under  the  present  writer  on  the  coast,  and 
Dr.  J.  W.  Wadman  in  Hawaii. 

Dr.  Gibson  was  always  looked  upon  as  the 
father  of  the  Mission,  and  had  much  to  do  with 
inspiring  and  guiding  it  during  the  days  of  the 
Gospel  Society,  the  objects  of  winch  wrere  4 4 The 
study  of  the  Bible,  the  promotion  of  education 
and  temperance  and  benevolent  work  among  the 
Japanese.’ ’ During  this  period  a branch  was 
formed  in  Oakland,  across  the  bay.  Dr.  Gibson, 
likewise,  looked  upon  Miyama  as  his  son  in  the 
Gospel,  and  just  before  his  death  directed  that 
his  gold  watch  be  sent  to  him  in  Hawaii,  where 
he  wras  engaged  in  Christian  and  temperance 
work. 

The  first  year  of  Dr.  Harris’  incumbency,  the 
machinery  of  the  Church  was  put  in  operation, 
a Quarterly  Conference  being  formed,  the  new 
church  that  year  reporting  thirty-one  baptisms 
and  ninety  members.  At  the  close  of  this  period 
(1893)  there  were  five  missions:  San  Francisco, 
Oakland,  Sacramento,  Fresno  and  Portland,  with 
314  probationers  and  678  members,  and  with  235 
baptized  during  the  year.  A.  gracious  revival  be- 
gan in  August,  1889,  and  continued  several  years. 
Concerning  this,  Dr.  Harris  wrote:  4 4 The  chief 
characteristics  of  this  work  of  grace  are  deep 
sense  of  sin,  accompanied  by  agonizing  prayer 
and  fasting  for  deliverance ; clear  witness  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  the  new  birth  and  Sonship;  full 
consecration,  heart  purity,  triumphant  joy,  and 
witness  with  power  to  Christ  as  Saviour.  ’ ’ On  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

first  Sunday  of  October  fifty  were  baptized,  and 
some  of  the  recorded  testimonies  compare  with 
the  best  ever  heard  in  a Methodist  love  feast. 
During  this  period,  also,  the  first  property  was 
secured,  a fine  lot  on  Pine  Street,  with  a four- 
teen-room house,  which  was  later  moved  to  the 
rear  of  the  lot  to  make  room  for  the  historic* 
church,  which  we  lost  last  year  in  the  great  fire 
following  the  earthquake. 

One  of  the  first  things  done  during  the  next 
period  (1893-9)  was  the  reorganization  of  the 
school  and  the  modification  of  its  character.  It 
became  the  training  school,  with  two  depart- 
ments, Biblical  and  English.  The  grade  was 
improved,  the  instruction  was  thorough,  and 
several  classes  were  graduated  during  the  period, 
Count  Mutsu  honoring  the  occasion  with  his 
presence  and  an  address  at  one  commencement. 
This  school,  now  under  the  efficient  direction  of 
Professor  Yail,  will  be  referred  to  again.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  the  Japanese  District  in  the 
California  Conference,  the  work  spread  across 
the  Canadian  border  and  to  the  south,  missions 
being  opened  in  Los  Angeles  and  at  Riverside. 
A mission  property  was  secured  at  Vacaville 
through  the  efforts  of  the  Japanese,  and  a paper, 
Glad  Tidings , established.  The  press  was  sub- 
sequently improved,  and  was  worth  $2,000 
when  destroyed  by  the  great  San  Francisco  fire. 
The  most  remarkable  achievement  was  the  rais- 
ing up  of  a full  dozen  splendidly  equipped  mis- 
sionaries to  Japan,  among  the  best  in  the  Japan 
conferences — K.  Miyama,  S.  Ogata,  T.  Ukai,  T. 
Hasegawa,  M.  Mitani,  S.  Furusawa,  T.  Fuji- 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

wara,  T.  Morimoto,  K.  Kimura,  K.  Ishizaka,  T. 
Nakamura  and  T.  Ikeda,  besides  three  others  who 
were  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  preparing  for 
more  efficient  work.  Mention  should  also  be  made 
of  H.  Kihara,  the  founder  of  the  Sacramento  mis- 
sion, who  at  this  time  was  laboring  most  effi- 
ciently in  Hawaii,  and  who  has  since  served  the 
Church  most  effectively  both  in  Japan  and  in 
Korea.  Since  then  several  others  have  united 
with  the  conferences  in  Japan,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  five  of  our  men  are  now  enrolled  as 
students  in  Drew  Theological  Seminary.  Prior 
to  the  close  of  this  period  (1899)  1,733  had  re- 
ceived Christian  baptism,  most  of  them  during 
the  five  revival  years. 

The  General  Conference  recognized  the  de- 
velopment, and  under  an  enabling  act  Bishop 
Hamilton  organized  the  Pacific  Japanese  Mis- 
sion in  1900.  The  Mission  during  the  first  quad- 
rennium  was  under  the  superintendency  of  Dr. 
(now  Bishop)  Harris,  and  included  the  work  in 
Hawaii;  for  the  past  four  years  the  Pacific 
Coast  work  has  been  under  the  care  of  the  pres- 
ent writer,  and  that  in  Hawaii  under  Superin- 
tendent J.  W.  Wadman,  of  that  mission.  Dur- 
ing the  four  years  of  Dr.  Harris’  incumbency, 
a new  church  was  built  in  Riverside  toward 
which  the  Japanese  contributed  most  liberally, 
a fine  property  was  secured  in  Portland,  costing 
over  $8,000,  toward  which  the  Japanese  gave 
nearly  $3,000,  and  the  work  in  the  Northwest 
showed  signs  of  great  development.  As  the 
Baptists  were  already  at  work  at  Tacoma  and  in 
Seattle,  they  were  given  right  of  way  under  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

unwritten  rules  of  mission  comity.  A small  mis- 
sion was  opened  in  Spokane,  and  just  at  the 
close  of  his  term  Dr.  Harris  sent  Brother 
Tsuruda  from  Spokane  to  Seattle.  The  Presby- 
terians were  at  work  in  San  Francisco  and  at 
Salinas,  and  had  taken  over  our  young  mission 
at  Watsonville.  The  Congregationalists  had  also 
started  work  in  Oakland  and  were  converting 
several  of  their  Chinese  missions  into  Japanese 
missions,  at  least  in  part.  The  Nishi  Hongwanji 
sect  of  Buddhists  had  also  opened  missions  in 
San  Francisco,  Sacramento,  Seattle  and  Fresno, 
having  property  in  the  last  named  place  worth 
$10,000. 

The  General  Conference  of  1904  practically 
marked  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  the  Gospel  Society,  the  first  organ- 
ized effort  to  reach  the  Japanese  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  That  body  took  two  remarkable  actions 
affecting  the  Mission— established  a separate  mis- 
sion in  Hawaii,  and  elected  as  Missionary  Bishop 
of  Japan  and  Korea,  Dr.  Merriman  C.  Harris, 
the  first  and  only  superintendent  of  the  Mission 
up  to  that  time. 

Many  pressing  problems  at  once  thrust  them- 
selves upon  the  present  superintendent.  For- 
tunately, a knowledge  of  the  people  and  their 
language,  gained  by  nearly  seventeen  years  of 
missionary  work  in  Japan,  has  been  of  great 
value.  With  the  agitation  against  the  Japanese 
in  full  force,  these  have  been  anxious  and  strenu- 
ous years,  but  with  much  to  encourage.  As 
stated  in  my  last  report,  the  effects  of  this  un- 
just, un-American  and  unchristian  conduct  on 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

a part  of  a section  of  the  labor  organizations 
and  their  hoodlum  followers  have  been  two- 
fold— certain  Japanese  who  have  not  thought 
the  problem  through,  hastily  conclude  that  if 
this  represents  Christian  civilization  they  do  not 
want  the  Christianity  which  underlies  it;  on 
the  other  hand,  the  thoughtful  are  not  slow  to 
observe  that  their  defenders  and  their  best 
friends  are  found  among  the  ministers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Protestant  churches,  and  that  most 
of  the  agitators  are  foreign  born  and  are  not 
real  Americans  or  Christians  at  all. 

Another  serious  problem  has  grown  out  of  the 
total  destruction  of  our  splendid  San  Francisco 
property  by  the  great  fire  following  the  earth- 
quake. The  loss  was  $20,600,  including  the  fine 
new  church  and  school  building;  the  rear  build- 
ing of  fourteen  rooms  used  as  a dormitory,  and 
with  the  printing  plant  in  the  basement;  and 
the  furniture,  furnishings  and  libra^.  We  had 
an  insurance  of  $7,000,  which  was  at  once  paid 
to  the  Board  of  Church  Extension  to  close  the 
debt  of  several  years’  standing.  With  interest 
paid  promptly,  semi-annually,  and  with  the  awful 
stress  upon  us,  if  there  ever  was  a time  for  a 
debt  to  be  forgiven  that  was  the  time.  But  the 
application  of  the  rules  of  the  Board  was  against 
such  a plan,  and  we  were  left  without  a dollar 
in  the  world  except  the  lot  which  is  held  by  the 
Board  of  Church  Extension.  The  scattering  that 
followed  reduced  the  members  from  one  hundred 
and  eighty  to  ninety-five,  and  the  probationers 
from  forty-five  to  fifteen.  But  those  that  were 
left  constituted  a heroic  band.  In  the  midst  of 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

the  horror  and  excitement,  when  thousands  were 
fleeing  for  their  lives,  one  of  the  members  res- 
cued the  pulpit  Bible  and  the  pictures  of  Dr. 
Gibson  and  Bishop  Harris,  former  superintend- 
ents, and  buried  them  in  the  ground,  where  they 
were  safely  preserved.  Throughout  it  all,  by 
keeping  together,  by  faithfulness  to,  Christian 
services,  and  by  helpfulness  in  every  possible 
way,  our  Japanese  Christians  manifested  their 
love  for  the  Church  and  their  efficiency  in  an 
emergency.  They  had  a large  part  in  the  relief 
work  of  the  Japanese  Committee  which  received 
such  favorable  notice  from  the  American  resi- 
dents. 

The  Anglo- Japanese  Training  School  had 
nearly  four  hundred  pupils  enrolled  at  the  time  of 
the  earthquake  and  fire,  and,  though  greatly 
crowded  for  room,  three  hundred  and  thirty 
were  enrolled  for  the  school  year  ending  June 
last.  There  are  four  American  and  five  Jap- 
anese teachers,  all  of  whom  have  been  thoroughly 
trained  for  their  work.  The  aim  is  to  make  it 
the  best  school  for  Japanese  in  America,  to  im- 
part a thorough  knowledge  and  Christianity,  and 
to  lead  as  many  as  possible  to  Christ.  The  past 
year  twelve  young  men  have  been  baptized  and 
received  into  the  Church,  the  total  number  for 
the  San  Francisco  church  being  thirty-two. 

The  problem  today  is  to  rebuild.  The  best 
that  the  Methodist  Rehabilitation  Committee  has 
been  able  to  do  is  to  promise  dollar  for  dollar 
what  the  Japanese  will  raise  up  to  the  limit  of 
$2,500.  The  only  other  church  upon  wffiich  such 
condition  has  been  placed  is  the  Chinese  Mis- 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

sion.  The  amount  will  be  raised,  though  with 
great  effort  under  the  circumstances.  The  rec- 
ords of  the  Mission  show  that  the  Japanese  are 
liberal  givers.  But  what  will  this  $5,000  do  in 
San  Francisco  at  the  present  time?  It  will  not 
more  than  cover  the  advance  in  prices  since  the 
fire,  and  after  doing  our  best  we  will  be  short 
just  what  we  lost : over  $20,000.  We  are  getting 
on  now  in  two  rented  buildings,  and  both  the 
church  and  school  are  prosperous.  There  never 
was  a time  before  when  both  were  so  much 
needed,  and  when  the  opportunity  was  greater, 
if  so  great.  Our  San  Francisco  Japanese  Meth- 
odist Church  is  the  mother  of  all  the  Christian 
work,  of  all  the  denominations  on  this  coast  and 
in  Hawaii,  the  mother  of  the  great  temperance 
movement  in  Japan  and  the  mother  of  many  of 
the  most  efficient  preachers  in  Japan  and  on  the 
Pacific  slope.  We  must  rebuild  at  once,  and  the 
general  Church  must  give  substantial  help. 

To  provide  permanent  and  more  suitable 
church  homes  and  to  save  the  expense  of  renting, 
special  effort  has  been  made  during  the  past 
two  or  three  years  to  secure  property  and  with 
encouraging  results.  The  brave  little  band  of 
Japanese  Christians  at  Fresno,  where  the  An- 
nual Meeting  was  recently  held,  have  subscribed 
and  paid  $2,100,  which,  with  $400  raised  locally 
and  a grant  of  $1,500  from  the  Board  of  Church 
Extension,  has  secured  them  a neat  and  com- 
fortable building  well  adapted  for  institutional 
work.  At  Selma,  also,  a smaller  though  very 
nice  church  has  been  built,  the  Japanese  contrib- 
uting more  than  half  the  cost.  A new  lot  has 


Methodism  and  the  Bepublic 


been  purchased  at  Vacaville,  entirely  from  Jap- 
anese sources,  and  nearly  $1,000  have  been 
pledged  or  collected  toward  the  erection  of  a 
new  church.  Bishop  Neely  recently  dedicated 
a very  neat  mission  building  at  Los  Angeles, 
which,  with  the  lot  and  improvements,  cost 
$6,400.  The  Japanese  collected  with  great  sacri- 
fice $2,700.  Local  American  Methodists  added 
$700,  and  the  Board  of  Church  Extension  gen- 
erously provided  the  balance.  Our  latest  ven- 
ture is  a splendid  corner  property  in  Oakland 
costing  $8,000,  well  worth  a thousand  more,  to- 
ward which  our  local  Christians  and  their 
friends  have  contributed  over  $2,000.  A mort- 
gage has  been  placed  on  the  balance,  with  a 
plan  for  gradual  payments,  and  it  is  expected 
that  the  Board  of  Church  Extension  will  aid  us 
within  our  conference  credit.  The  next  great 
property  moves  will  be  in  San  Francisco  and 
Seattle. 

In  this  latter  city  wonders  have  been  accom- 
plished in  the  past  two  years.  This  young 
church  is  very  vigorous.  We  have  no  better  illus- 
tration anywhere  of  an  institutional  church. 
The  society  occupies  an  entire  block,  with  a 
storeroom  for  church  and  assembly  hall,  and 
with  thirty  rooms  for  school  and  dormitories. 
The  Epworth  League  is  specially  aggressive,  all 
the  departments  being  in  active  operation. 
Though  the  League  is  new  as  an  institution  in 
our  coast  Japanese  churches,  we  now  have  eleven 
organizations,  with  a membership  of  over  four 
hundred.  Several  of  the  Leagues  publish  monthly 
papers  which  are  distributed  as  tracts  and  widely 


Evangelization  of  the  Japanese  in  America 

read.  New  and  hopeful  missions  have  been 
started  at  Bakersfield,  Oxnard  and  Santa  Bar- 
bara, and  the  work  at  several  points  has  been 
strengthened. 

The  cutting  off  the  work  in  Hawaii  and  a care- 
ful pruning  of  the  records  makes  the  statistical 
showing  rather  small,  yet  when  conversions  and 
giving  per  capita  are  considered  there  is  every- 
thing to  encourage. 


1907 

Gain 

Members  

706 

80 

Probationers  

158 

Baptisms:  Adults,  120;  children,  12... 

132 

Sunday-school  scholars  

318 

32 

Churches  (buildings)  

7 

2 

Valuation  

.$52,300 

$8,700 

Contributions : 

Support  of  Ministry  

. 4,093 

1,276 

Missions  and  Church  Extension 

. 1,017 

278 

Other  regular  benevolences 

104 

35 

Other  local  receipts  and  expenses . . . 

. 4,771 

2,217 

During  the  quadrennium  twenty-eight  chil- 
dren and  five  hundred  and  thirty-five  adults 
have  received  Christian  baptism.  Some  have  re- 
turned to  Japan,  but  many  have  gone  to  places 
where  we  have  no  organized  work,  particularly 
East,  and  appear  for  the  time  to  be  lost.  My 
observation  is  that  the  Japanese  who  really 
backslide  are  comparatively  few.  Our  Chris- 
tians represent  a high  standard,  whether  con- 
sidered from  the  standpoint  of  intelligence, 
faithful  attendance  upon  the  appointed  means  of 
grace,  or  willingness  to  support  the  Church, 
including  its  organized  benevolences. 

For  lack  of  workers  and  money,  we  have  not 
Sig.  13 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


been  able  to  enter  open  doors  in  Pocatello,  Idaho, 
Missoula,  Montana,  Reno,  Nevada  and  other 
places  where  we  have  had  loud  calls.  The  Jap- 
anese are  migrating  eastward  far  beyond  our 
boundaries.  For  some  time  there  have  been 
quite  successful  missions  in  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  toward  which  the  superintendent  has 
sustained  an  advisory  relation.  Of  late  Colo- 
rado, Wyoming  and  other  western  States  are 
welcoming  the  Japanese.  One  advantage  of  the 
migration  of  these  people  eastward  will  be  to 
bring  Americans  into  close  contact  with  them, 
which  will  result  in  more  complete  knowledge 
and  a better  understanding.  The  Japanese  are 
universally  most  respected  where  they  are  best 
known.  During  the  past  year  missions  have 
been  opened  in  Denver  and  Pueblo,  the  former 
as  an  interdenominational  work  and  the  latter 
under  the  care  of  the  Northern  Avenue  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Rev.  J.  F.  Por- 
ter is  pastor.  In  view  of  the  necessity  of  keep- 
ing the  work  unified,  the  last  Annual  Meeting  re- 
quested the  next  General  Conference  to  extend 
the  boundaries  of  the  Mission  as  far  as  the 
Mississippi  River.  There  is  need  not  only  of 
this,  but  specially  of  increased  appropriations 
in  order  that  we  may  carry  on  the  work  among 
the  Japanese  that  has  providentially  fallen  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  field 
already  occupied. 


GERMAN  METHODISM 


ITS  ORIGIN,  PROGRESS  AND  PRESENT 

STATE 


BY  OTTO  E.  KRIEGE,  D.D. 

Professor  in  Central  Wesleyan  College  and  Theological 
Seminary,  Warren  ton,  Mo. 


The  Field 

When  the  American  continent  was  parceled 
out  among  the  European  countries,  Germany 
was  not  considered,  for  there  was  no  German 
nation.  Nevertheless  Germans  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  early  colonization  of  the 
New  World.  “Germans  came  over  as  soldiers 
in  foreign  legions;  as  sailors  and  traders  on 
foreign  ships;  as  artisans  and  day  laborers;  as 
fugitives  and  adventurers/’  But  these  indi- 
vidual Germans  who  crossed  the  seas  were 
quickly  assimilated  with  the  greater  mass  of 
English  colonists  and  left  no  trace  of  their 
coming. 

The  emigration  of  large  numbers  of  Germans 
to  America  did  not  begin  until  nearly  eighty 
years  after  the  settlement  of  Jamestown.  It  was 
in  1683  that  thirteen  Mennonite  and  Quaker 
families — fifty  souls  in  all — left  their  home  in 
Crefeld,  Germany,  and  settled  on  a tract  of 
6,000  acres  of  land  about  six  miles  from  Phila- 


Methodism  and  the  Eepublic 

delphia.  Here  they  founded  Germantown,  the 
first  permanent  German  colony  in  America.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  that  mighty  tide  of  immi- 
gration which  has  brought  to  our  shores  mil- 
lions of  the  sturdy  sons  of  the  Fatherland.  Fol- 
lowing the  Crefelders  other  colonies  came  from 
Switzerland,  Wurttemberg,  the  Palatinate  and 
from  the  lower  Ehine.  They  settled  for  the 
most  part  in  Pennsylvania,  though  great  num- 
bers of  them  found  a home  in  New  York,  the 
Carolinas,  Virginia,  Maryland  and  Georgia.  It 
is  estimated  that  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Eevolu- 
tion  one-half  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  were 
Germans  and  that  the  total  number  of  Germans 
in  America  was  not  far  from  150,000. 

‘ ‘ In  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century 
Germany  was  the  market  place  where  govern- 
ments and  colonization  societies  bargained  for 
colonists.  ’ ? Aside  from  the  blandishments  of 
the  shipowners  and  their  solicitors,  who  visited 
the  interior  of  Germany  and  painted  the  advan- 
tages of  the  New  World  in  glowing  colors,  there 
were  other  and  valid  reasons  for  the  departure 
of  so  many  artisans  and  peasants  from  the  land 
of  their  birth.  These  reasons  were  partly  relig- 
ious, partly  economic.  The  earliest  emigrants 
were  sectarians:  Mennonites,  Quakers,  Mystics, 
Pietists,  who  were  persecuted  for  their  faith  by 
the  established  Lutheran,  Eeformed  or  Catholic 
Churches.  Penn  personally  visited  these  secta- 
rian centers  and  later  scattered  various  pam- 
phlets broadcast,  inviting  the  discontented  to 
hospitable  America. 

Following  these,  thousands  of  others  came, 


V 


German  Methodism 


who  were  members  of  the  established  Protestant 
churches.  Their  hope  was  to  improve  their 
social  and  financial  position;  for  the  ceaseless 
wars  between  the  petty  rulers  and  the  relentless 
spoliation  of  German  lands  by  the  French  had 
brought  thousands  of  Germans  into  abject  pov- 
erty and  cruel  serfdom. 

Contemporaneous  writers  describe  the  lot  of 
the  German  peasants  as  pitiable  in  the  extreme. 
Exhausted  by  constant  toil,  robbed  of  the  fruits 
of  their  labor,  treated  like  brutes,  they  grad- 
ually sank  to  the  lowest  levels.  In  sheer  despera- 
tion they  fled  from  their  German  homes  hoping 
to  find  pity  and  help  among  strangers. 

And  though  they  were  at  the  mercy  of  cruel 
captains  and  though  the  indescribably  wretched 
sanitary  conditions  on  the  vessels  caused  the 
death  of  one-sixth  of  the  passengers  at  sea,  still 
they  came  in  great  companies,  glad  to  bind 
themselves  out  as  slaves  for  two  years  or  more 
to  reimburse  the  shipowners  for  their  passage. 
Many  Germans  found  a refuge  in  Russia  and 
in  Ireland,  but  by  far  the  greatest  number 
landed  on  our  shores. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  religious  culture 
of  these  German  colonists  did  not  keep  pace  with 
their  material  progress.  Very  few  pastors 
accompanied  these  emigrants,  for  they  were  poor, 
unorganized  and  they  could  not  expect  the  gov- 
ernment to  assist  them  in  erecting  churches. 
Some  of  the  pastors  who  did  cross  the  seas  were 
ungodly  adventurers  or  such  as  had  been  ex- 
pelled from  Germany.  All  the  more  reason,  then, 
for  mentioning  the  apostolic  Heinrich  Melchior 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


Muhlenberg,  the  patriarch  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America,  and  Michael  Schlatter,  who 
served  the  Reformed  Church  in  a similar 
capacity  as  pastor  and  chaplain,  and  August 
Gottlieb  Spangenberg,  the  most  influential  leader 
of  the  Moravians.  These  men  were  heroic  and 
untiring  in  their  labors  for  their  German  com- 
patriots, nevertheless  the  task  was  beyond  their 
power.  Asbury  and  the  Methodist  itinerants 
frequently  came  in  touch  with  these  German 
settlements,  and  though  they  deplored  the  fact 
that  they  were  as  sheep  without  a shepherd,  and 
though  Asbury ’s  assistant,  Henry  Bohm,  fre- 
quently preached  in  German,  they  do  not  seem 
to  have  appreciated  the  gravity  of  the  situation. 
Jacob  Albrecht  appealed  in  vain  to  be  sent 
as  a missionary  to  the  Germans,  but  Asbury 
did  not  deem  it  expedient,  for  he  expected 
the  colonists  to  drop  the  German  language 
speedily  and  to  attend  the  English  services. 
Albrecht,  however,  followed  his  conscience, 
preached  to  the  Germans  in  their  own  tongue, 
and  in  1800  organized  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion, which  has  had  an  honorable  career  as  a 
spiritual  force  to  this  day.  The  same  year  saw 
the  birth  of  another  German  Church  of  great 
evangelistic  power,  the  United  Brethren,  whose 
founders,  Phillip  Otterbein  and  Martin  Bohm, 
were  closely  allied  with  Asbury  in  his  apostolic 
labors.  These  were  the  leaders  of  the  religious 
work  among  the  Germans  at  the  close  of  the 
revolutionary  and  the  beginning  of  the  national 
period. 

Another  era  of  German  emigration  followed 


German  Methodism 


the  close  of  the  Napoleonic  wars.  The  reaction 
which  set  in  towards  absolutism  and  which  cul- 
minated in  the  revolution  of  1848  caused  many 
of  the  middle  and  upper  classes  to  seek  refuge 
in  America  in  order  to  escape  the  unbearable 
burdens  of  taxation  and  the  vexation  of  political 
espionage.  Many  of  these  were  students  or 
young,  well-educated  professional  men,  who 
organized  patriotic  clubs  in  America  and 
dreamed  of  a new  birth  of  freedom  in  Germany. 
In  a brief  time,  however,  they  found  so  many 
inviting  fields  for  their  efforts  in  America  that, 
though  still  warmly  attached  to  the  Fatherland, 
they  soon  became  influential  men  of  affairs  in 
their  new  home.  Cincinnati  and  Germantown, 
Ohio,  were  the  leading  centers  of  these  wide- 
awake Germans.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
cotton  crops  of  the  South  furnished  a ready 
return  cargo,  most  of  the  west-bound  vessels 
now  chose  the  southern  route  and  landed  their 
passengers  at  New  Orleans.  Thus  it  came  about 
that  the  lower  and  middle  Mississippi  regions 
were  largely  peopled  by  Germans  in  this  second 
epoch  of  their  migration.  Bred  in  the  ration- 
alistic atmosphere  of  their  time,  in  many  cases 
receiving  religious  instruction  and  confirmation 
at  the  hands  of  skeptical  teachers  and  pastors,  it 
is  small  wonder  that  many  were  indifferent  or 
antagonistic  to  all  forms  of  religion. 

Cut  off  from  the  wholesome  restraints  of 
home  and  church,  the  new  immigrant  was  in 
imminent  danger  of  falling  into  godless  and 
dissipated  ways.  Here  was  a problem  for  the 
Church,  more  serious  than  any  that  had  preceded 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


it.  Methodism  could  not  but  heed  the  call  to 
help,  as  the  existing  forces  were  unable  to  cope 
with  the  situation. 

The  Providential  Man 

The  first  emissary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  to  this  larger  contingent  of  Germans 
was  William  Nast,  whose  name  is  inseparably 
connected  with  the  history  of  Methodism  in 
America.  He  was  born  June  15,  1807,  in  Stutt- 
gart, Wurttemberg.  His  paternal  as  well  as 
his  maternal  ancestors  for  several  generations 
had  been  prominent  clergymen  or  professors. 
He  received  a pious  training,  was  confirmed  at 
fourteen,  and  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions.  He  studied  in  the 
convent-seminary  of  Blaubeuren  and  at  the 
University  of  Tubingen.  At  these  schools,  under 
the  blighting  influence  of  rationalistic  teachers 
like  Ferdinand  Christian  Baur  and  of  skeptical 
classmates  like  David  Friedrich  Strauss,  young 
Nast  lost  his  faith,  abandoned  theology,  repaid 
his  tuition  and  devoted  himself  to  art  and 
belles-lettres. 

There  follows  a period  of  seven  years— -his 
4 ‘ W ander  j ahre  ’ ’ — during  which  Nast  vainly 
sought  to  find  himself  and  his  God.  Unsatisfied 
by  his  literary  studies  in  Dresden  he  decided 
in  1828  to  cross  the  seas,  hoping  thereby  to 
regain  his  lost  peace  of  mind.  The  accomplished 
young  scholar  soon  found  employment  as  tutor 
near  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  where  a company  of 
Methodist  preachers  encouraged  his  quest  of 
peace  and  pardon.  As  librarian  and  tutor  at 


German  Methodism 


West  Point  he  was  led  to  renew  his  religious 
reading  by  two  godly  officers,  and  to  attend  the 
services  of  the  Methodists.  Owing  to  his  mental 
distress  he  declined  a call  to  the  Lutheran  Semi- 
nary at  Gettysburg.  Here,  however,  he  sought 
the  guidance  of  Methodists  and  joined  the 
Church  on  probation.  Still  struggling  towards 
the  light  he  joined  Father  Rapp’s  Harmony 
Colony  at  Economy,  Pa.,  but  while  doing  menial 
labor  in  the  field,  became  convinced  that  the 
means  here  employed  would  never  bring  peace 
to  his  soul.  At  the  invitation  of  Dr.  Mcllvaine, 
later  a bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  he  went  to  Gambier,  Ohio,  as  professor 
of  Hebrew  and  Greek  in  Kenyon  College.  But 
he  found  no  joy  in  his  work  because  his  heart 
was  not  at  rest.  At  this  time  Adam  Miller,  a 
Methodist  itinerant  of  German  descent,  met 
Nast,  brought  him  spiritual  comfort  and  guid- 
ance, and  persuaded  him  to  translate  a part  of 
the  Discipline  into  German.  Nast  continued  to 
use  the  Methodist  means  of  grace,  and  at  last, 
while  attending  a quarterly  meeting  at  Danville, 
Ohio,  on  January  18,  1835,  his  long  and  desper- 
ate struggle  was  ended,  his  skepticism  was  over- 
come, and  in  childlike  faith  he  accepted  Christ 
as  his  Saviour.  Two  weeks  later  he  was  licensed 
to  exhort,  in  July  he  was  made  a local  preacher, 
and  in  September,  1835,  he  was  received  into 
the  Ohio  Conference  and  appointed  to  Cincin- 
nati as  first  missionary  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  to  the  Germans. 

It  was  a crucial  moment,  and  Nast  was  a provi- 
dential agent.  For  several  years  a mission  to 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

the  Germans  had  been  urged  upon  the  Church, 
and  Adam  Miller  and  others  had  volunteered 
to  prepare  themselves  for  this  work.  But  Nast 
was  pre-eminently  qualified  to  serve  as  leader 
in  this  new  movement,  because  of  his  intense 
zeal,  his  logical  mind,  his  ripe  scholarship  and 
his  profound  religious  experience.  After  the 
long  train  of  providential  events  which  culmi- 
nated finally  in  his  conversion,  the  essentials  of 
Christianity  and  of  Methodism  were  to  him  eter- 
nal verities.  With  confidence  and  joy  he  pro- 
claimed and  defended  them  by  voice  and  pen 
among  the  well-educated  as  well  as  among  the 
unlettered  Germans. 

Nast  began  his  mission  in  Cincinnati  in  Sep- 
tember, 1835,  on  a salary  of  one  hundred  dollars 
a year.  Like  other  leaders  he  encountered  bitter 
attacks  on  the  part  of  the  German  press  and 
violent  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  vulgar.  His 
success  was  meager:  only  “ three  clear  conver- 
sions ” were  reported  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
The  work  in  Cincinnati  was  therefore  aban- 
doned, and  in  1836  he  formed  a circuit  of  twenty- 
five  appointments  around  Columbus.  The  next 
year  he  was  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  was 
assisted  by  Adam  Miller  and  John  Swahlen,  one 
of  his  three  “ clear  converts.”  From  this  time 
on  the  progress  of  the  work  was  rapid.  Nast’s 
fervent  desire  had  been  to  see  one  German 
church  well  established,  and  behold,  in  ten  years 
there  were  75  preachers  and  4,385  members! 

Plainly,  the  growing  work  demanded  some 
channel  of  communication,  some  organ  of  pro- 
pagandism  and  defense.  It  was  a step  of  far- 


German  Methodism 


reaching  importance  when  Der  Christliche 
Apologete  was  founded  in  1839  and  the  versa- 
tile William  Nast  was  elected  editor.  For 
fifty-three  years  his  forceful  editorials  guided 
the  thought  and  action  of  his  German  brethren, 
displayed  the  purposes  of  Methodism  and 
warded  off  the  attacks  of  the  enemies  of  religion. 
In  addition  to  this  editorial  work  he  preached 
for  many  years,  wrote  a great  number  of  tracts, 
translated  a number  of  important  English  works, 
published  an  invaluable  catechism,  a learned 
introduction  to  the  New  Testament  and  a criti- 
cal commentary  on  the  first  three  gospels.  All 
of  these  works  manifest  wide  reading,  calm 
judgment  and  a reverential  spirit.  Never  a 
fluent  or  eloquent  preacher,  yet  his  sermons  were 
convincing  and  at  times  profoundly  stirring.  By 
his  enormous  private  correspondence  he  kept  in 
touch  with  every  interest  of  the  spreading  move- 
ment. It  was  natural  that  this  university -bred 
man  should  be  interested  in  the  educational  ven- 
tures of  the  Church,  and  he  was  instrumental  in 
founding  German  Wallace  College  at  Berea, 
Ohio.  The  church-at-large  honored  and  re- 
spected him,  and  his  German  brethren  lovingly 
spoke  of  him  as  the  “Father  of  German  Metho- 
dism. ” He  passed  away  in  the  home  of  his 
daughter  in  Cincinnati,  on  the  16th  of  May, 
1899,  exclaiming,  “It  is  wonderful,  it  is  won- 
derful !” 

The  Pioneer  Coworkers 
The  early  colaborers  with  Nast  and  many  of 
their  successors  were  cast  in  heroic  molds.  They 
eucouqtered  mobs,  endured  privations,  blazed 


Methodism  and  the  Kepublic 


their  way  through  trackless  forests  and  forded 
raging  streams  if  only  they  might  reach  and 
save  some  German  settler  from  a godless  life 
and  its  consequences.  On  God’s  roll  of  the 
heroes  of  faith  will  be  found  the  names  of  many 
of  these  humble  but  faithful  German  missionaries. 

Prominent  among  those  who  assisted  Nast  in 
founding  missions  and  establishing  the  work 
were  John  Swahlen,  a native  of  Switzerland, 
and  one  of  Nast’s  first  converts.  He  founded 
the  work  in  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  and  erected  a 
plain  but  commodious  brick  church  in  Wheeling 
in  1839 — the  first  German  Methodist  church  ever 
built. 

Adam  Miller  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1810, 
of  German  Mennonite  parents.  He  was  con- 
verted under  Methodist  preaching,  joined  the 
itinerants,  warmly  encouraged  German  missions, 
was  one  of  Nast’s  many  spiritual  guides  and 
later  a regular  German  preacher. 

Peter  Schmucker,  converted  at  a Methodist 
camp  meeting,  for  several  years  a prominent 
Lutheran  minister,  became  a German  Methodist 
itinerant  in  1839  and  founded  the  work  in 
Louisville  and  New  Orleans. 

Ludwig  S.  Jacoby . His  parents  were  Hebrews, 
of  the  tribe  of  Levi.  He  became  a Christian  in 
Germany  and  a Methodist  under  Nast’s  preach- 
ing in  1839.  He  immediately  began  to  preach, 
and  in  1841  he  opened  the  first  German  mission 
in  St.  Louis  and  organized  the  work  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley.  In  1849  he  returned  to  Ger- 
many and  gave  twenty -two  years  of  service  to 
the  work  in  the  Fatherland. 


German  Methodism 


J.  H.  Eisling,  an  American  German,  was  sent 
to  Lawrenceburg,  Ind.,  in  1839,  and  soon  organ- 
ized an  extended  circuit.  He  was  a prominent 
preacher  for  many  years. 

George  Breunig,  a converted  Catholic,  joined 
the  Ohio  Conference  in  1840,  was  a useful  minis- 
ter in  Ohio  and  Indiana  and  author  of  the  book 
4 ‘ From  Rome  to  Zion. 9 9 

C.  H.  Doering  was  converted  in  Wheeling, 
spent  four  years  in  Allegheny  College,  joined 
the  Pittsburg  Conference  in  1841,  and  in  the 
same  year  founded  the  work  in  New  York.  Later 
he  went  as  a missionary  to  Germany. 

* William  Ahrens,  converted  under  Schmucker *s 
preaching  in  Cincinnati,  joined  the  Kentucky 
Conference  in  1842;  was  a successful  evangelist 
and  pastor. 

Henry  Koeneke,  early  influenced  by  the  Mora- 
vians, came  to  America  in  1836,  was  converted  in 
Wheeling  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
there.  He  joined  the  Ohio  Conference  in  1843 
and  labored  successfully  for  many  years  in 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri. 

Early  suspicions  as  to  the  orthodoxy  of  these 
German  missionaries  were  quickly  allayed  when 
their  thorough  evangelistic  work  was  noted. 
There  was  no  vital  doctrine  or  practice  in 
Methodism  that  these  German  preachers  and 
their  converts  did  not  conscientiously  and  con- 
sistently support. 

Epochs  op  Progress 

Through  the  labors  of  the  preachers  and  the 
zeal  of  the  members,  the  work  among  the  Ger- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

mans  spread  rapidly  in  every  direction.  In 
order  to  link  the  scattered  missions  together  the 
General  Conference  of  1844  ordered  the  forma- 
tion of  German  districts,  under  German  Pre- 
siding Elders,  to  be  attached  to  some  English 
conference.  The  fears  of  some  that  this  change 
might  cause  the  Germans  to  separate  from  the 
Church  and  to  form  an  independent  body,  were 
groundless.  They  loved  the  Church,  which  had 
been  the  means  of  their  salvation,  too  well  to 
leave  it  so  soon.  The  formation  of  German  dis- 
tricts promoted  the  solidarity  of  the  work,  and 
permitted  a better  supervision  of  the  missions 
and  a better  disposition  of  the  forces.  In  1844 
the  German  work  was  grouped  into  three  dis- 
tricts. The  Cincinnati  District,  under  Peter 
Schmucker,  with  twelve  circuits,  and  the  Pitts- 
burg District,  under  C.  H.  Doering,  with  eight 
circuits,  were  both  connected  with  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference, while  the  St.  Louis  District,  under  L.  S. 
Jacoby,  embracing  eleven  circuits,  belonged  first 
to  the  Missouri  Conference,  and  after  the  divi- 
sion of  the  Church,  to  the  Illinois  Conference. 
In  1845  the  Indiana  District  was  organized  and 
William  Nast  placed  in  charge  of  it,  and  in  the 
same  year  the  St.  Louis  District  was  divided  into 
the  Missouri  District,  under  Henry  Koeneke,  and 
the  Quincy  District,  under  L.  S.  Jacoby.  These 
districts  were  subsequently  again  divided  and 
new  ones  were  organized  as  the  needs  of  the  work 
demanded.  By  1864  there  were  eighteen  Ger- 
man districts  attached  to  the  various  English 
conferences. 

The  circuits,  too,  were  speedily  divided  and 


German  Methodism 


new  missions  were  opened  as  quickly  as  the  itin- 
erants could  reach  the  outposts  of  German  settle- 
ments. We  have  already  noted  that  C.  H.  Doer- 
ing established  the  work  in  New  York  in  1841, 
and  that  L.  S.  Jacoby  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  in 
the  same  year.  By  the  aid  of  his  earliest  co- 
laborers, Sebastian  Barth,  Willian  Schreck,  John 
Swahlen  and  John  Hartmann,  missions  were 
soon  planted  at  strategical  points  in  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  fields  which  now  form  parts  of  two 
German  conferences.  The  work  in  Chicago  was 
begun  by  Phillip  Barth  in  1846 : now  there  are 
thirteen  churches  with  about  2,000  members  in 
Chicago.  In  this  year,  too,  John  M.  Hartmann 
established  the  mission  in  Detroit,  and  W. 
Schreck  preached  the  first  German  Methodist 
sermon  in  Milwaukee.  In  1850  John  Plank 
formed  a circuit  around  St.  Paul,  and  thus  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  present  Northern  German 
Conference.  At  the  General  Conference  in  Bos- 
ton in  1852,  the  German  delegates  began  the 
mission  in  New  England,  Christian  F.  Grimm 
being  the  first  missionary  under  appointment. 
In  1855  German  preachers  crossed  the  border 
into  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  Carl  F.  Lange, 
George  Schatz,  C.  Heidel  and  C.  Stueckemann 
were  among  the  brave  pioneers  in  this  region, 
where  now  the  West  German  Conference  counts 
over  5,000  members.  The  mission  in  northern 
Iowa  dates  from  1865,  when  J.  G.  Achenbach 
and  Carl  Schuler  preached  in  Charles  City  and 
vicinity.  C.  H.  Afflerbach  and  F.  Bonn  blazed 
the  way  in  California  in  1867,  and  E.  Schneider, 
C.  Biel  and  C.  Urbantke  in  Texas  in  the  same 


Methodism  and  the  Kepublic 

year.  Thus  in  one  generation  the  German  mis- 
sions had  spread  to  every  part  of  the  Union 
where  emigrants  from  the  Fatherland  were  to 
be  found  in  any  considerable  number.  In  1864 
there  were  306  itinerants,  and  the  membership 
had  grown  to  26,145. 

The  next  period  of  progress  dates  from  1864, 
when  German  conferences  were  formed  by 
authority  of  the  General  Conference.  The  ques- 
tion had  been  agitated  for  several  years,  but  the 
opposition  to  this  step  came  from  within  and  not 
from  without;  for  some  of  the  German  preach- 
ers valued  their  connection  with  the  English 
conferences  so  highly  that  they  were  reluctant 
to  part  from  them.  However,  this  step,  too,  was 
a distinct  gain  to  the  German  cause,  and  as  the 
German  conferences  were  at  once  placed  on  an 
equal  footing  with  the  English  conferences,  there 
has  never  been  an  inclination  on  the  part  of 
the  German  preachers  or  members  to  form  an 
independent  sect. 

Three  conferences  were  at  once  organized : the 
Central,  the  Southwest  and  the  Northwest.  As 
the  work  grew,  these  conferences  were  divided 
and  new  ones  formed,  until  now  there  are  ten 
German  conferences  in  the  United  States  and 
three  in  Europe.  The  names  and  dates  of  or- 
ganization of  these  conferences  are  as  follows: 
California,  1891;  Central,  1864;  Chicago,  1872; 
Eastern,  1866;  Northern  (Minnesota  and  North 
Dakota),  1887;  Northwestern  (Upper  Iowa  and 
South  Dakota),  1864;  Pacific  (Washington  and 
Oregon),  1905;  St.  Louis,  1879;  Southern,  1872; 
Western  (Kansas,  Nebraska,  etc.),  1879.  The 


German  Methodism 


Germany  Conference,  founded  in  1856,  was 
divided  in  1893  into  the  Northern  Germany  and 
the  Southern  Germany  Conferences.  The  Swiss 
Conference  dates  from  1886. 

A distinct  era  of  progress  is  also  marked  by 
the  founding  of  the  mission  in  Germany  in  1849. 
As  early  as  1844  the  far-seeing  Nast  had  advo- 
cated such  a work  and  had  made  a tour  of  inspec- 
tion through  Germany  for  this  purpose.  The 
mission  was  not  begun,  however,  until  1849, 
when  Ludwig  S.  Jacoby  was  sent  back  to  the 
Fatherland.  He  began  operations  in  Bremen 
and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  Metho- 
dist fires  blazing  in  every  part  of  Germany. 
Other  helpers  and  founders  from  America  were 
C.  H.  Doering,  Louis  Nippert,  Ehrhart  Wun- 
derlich, E.  Riemenschneider,  H.  Nuelsen  and  W. 
Schwartz.  Almost  immediately,  in  1856,  a 
theological  training  school  was  established  (now 
the  Martin  Mission  Institute)  for  the  training 
of  native  preachers,  so  that  no  other  helpers 
from  America  were  required.  The  work  in 
Europe  was  a distinct  advance,  not  only  because 
of  the  direct  results,  but  also  because  of  its 
various  indirect  benefits  to  the  German  work  in 
America.  In  1897  the  union  with  the  German 
work  of  the  Wesleyan  Church  was  accomplished, 
whereby  28  preachers  and  2,541  members  were 
added  to  our  work.  The  moral  effect  of  this 
blending  of  sister  churches  has  been  of  incal- 
culable benefit.  Two  book  concerns,  a wide- 
awake press,  a model  deaconess  work,  an  able 
ministry  and  a devoted  membership  make  this 
offshoot  of  German  missions  in  America  one  of 

Sig.  14 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

great  value  to  the  Methodist  Church,  and  of 
untold  beneficial  influence  to  the  state  churches 
of  Germany. 

Present  State 

The  German  work  in  America  at  the  present 
time  numbers  620  preachers  and  63,954  mem- 
bers. In  Europe  there  are  241  German  preach- 
ers and  31,287  members.  The  present  rate  of 
increase,  while  much  lower  than  formerly,  is 
still  equal  to  that  of  the  parent  Church.  There 
are  several  reasons  why  this  increase  is  no 
greater.  German  immigration  has  decreased 
materially  during  the  last  fifteen  years.  Other 
German  churches  in  America  have  been  stirred 
to  greater  zeal  in  looking  after  those  that  come. 
Every  year  many  American-born  Germans,  no 
longer  able  to  understand  the  German  language, 
have  been  transferred  into  the  English  churches. 
In  fact,  whole  congregations  of  Germans  have 
been  taken  into  the  English  fold.  Nevertheless, 
in  spite  of  these  discouraging  features,  there  has 
been  a steady  gain  every  year.  A conservative 
estimate  places  the  whole  number  of  those  who 
were  led  into  the  Church  by  William  Nast  and 
his  successors,  since  the  founding  of  German 
missions,  at  a quarter  of  a million  souls. 

German  Methodists  are  noted  for  their  cheer- 
ful, liberal  giving.  The  Missionary  Society  last 
year  appropriated  $42,525  for  the  German  work 
in  America,  but  this  in  turn  paid  back  into  the 
treasury  $53,329.  This  means  an  average  of 
82  cents  for  every  member  and  probationer, 
whereas  the  general  average  for  Methodism  was 


German  Methodism 


but  47  cents.  Over  one-half  of  the  German 
appointments  are  self-supporting.  Besides  this 
the  Germans  contributed  $128,280  for  other 
benevolences  and  $521,894  for  self-support. 
Their  857  churches  are  valued  at  $3,891,522,  and 
their  536  parsonages  at  $1,056,715,  and  all  prac- 
tically without  any  debt.  All  of  this  Church 
property  has  been  dedicated  to  the  service  of 
God  and  the  Church  with  very  little  help  from 
the  mother  Church  beyond  the  missionary  appro- 
priations for  the  work  and  Church  Extension 
loans  for  buildings.  By  an  arrangement  with 
the  Board  of  Church  Extension,  the  collections 
for  this  cause  are  appropriated  by  the  German 
conferences  to  such  charges  as  have  lately 
erected  a church  or  have  made  extensive  repairs. 
Last  year  these  collections  amounted  to  $16,825. 
The  average  salary  of  German  preachers,  includ- 
ing parsonage  and  missionary  appropriations,  is 
$656,  while  that  of  the  church-at-large,  exclusive 
of  missionary  appropriations,  is  $792.  There  are 
no  great  extremes  of  salary,  the  highest  being 
$1,300  besides  parsonage.  All  the  German  con- 
ferences have  given  the  cause  of  superannuates 
careful  attention,  and  while  the  veterans  are 
not  supported  as  they  should  be,  their  dividends 
are  greater  than  in  the  connection-at-large. 
Funds  amouning  to  $125,000  have  been  gath- 
ered and  invested,  to  which  the  preachers 
annually  add  from  one-half  to  one  and  one-half 
percent  of  their  salary. 

German  Methodism  maintains  a number  of 
important  publications,  which  have  exerted  a 
powerful  influence  on  the  religious  life  of  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

members  and  friends  of  the  Church.  Der  Christ - 
liche  Apologete  is  now  a thirty-two-page  illus- 
trated folio  and  compares  favorably  with  the 
other  members  of  the  Advocate  family.  Founded 
in  1839  by  William  Nast,  it  has  been  ably  edited 
since  1892  by  his  son  and  successor,  Dr.  Albert 
J.  Nast.  It  has  a circulation  of  about  18,000 
copies.  The  Sunday  School  Glocke  dates 
from  1858  and  The  Bibelforscher — a lesson 
quarterly — from  1872.  The  latter  has  a circu- 
lation of  48,000.  Hans  und  Herd  is  an  excel- 
lent illustrated  family  magazine,  founded  in 
1872  to  counteract  the  skeptical  German  litera- 
ture of  the  day.  It  number  8,000  subscribers. 
This  magazine  and  the  Sunday-school  publica- 
tions are  under  the  editorial  management  of  Dr. 
Friedrich  Munz. 

The  first  hymn  book  was  published  by  Nast, 
Schmucker  and  Miller  in  1839.  Other  hymnals 
for  the  church,  and  song  books  for  the  Sunday- 
school  and  Epworth  League  have  appeared  as 
the  demand  for  them  arose.  More  than  a hun- 
dred doctrinal  and  devotional  works  by  German 
Methodists  have  been  published,  and  several  im- 
portant works  have  recently  appeared  in  Eng- 
lish, among  them  J.  M.  Rohde’s  4 'God  and  Gov- 
ernment” and  Dr.  Nulsen’s  biography  of  Luther 
in  the  ‘ ‘ Men  of  the  Kingdom 9 7 series. 

The  Father  of  German  Methodism  and  some 
of  his  coworkers  having  received  a liberal  educa- 
tion in  Germany,  it  was  natural  that  they  should 
early  think  of  establishing  schools  for  the  Ger- 
man-American  youth  and  for  the  purpose  of 
training  an  educated  ministry.  An  early  sug- 


German  Methodism 


gestion,  that  Dr.  Nast  establish  a German  De- 
partment in  connection  with  Indian  Asbury 
(now  DePanw)  University,  proved  to  be  imprac- 
ticable. The  first  plan  to  be  carried  out  origi- 
nated with  the  preachers  of  Illinois  in  1852,  when 
it  was  decided  to  found  a German  college  at  some 
suitable  place.  Instead  of  doing  this,  however, 
a college  was  established  in  conjunction  with  the 
English,  at  Quincy,  111.  In  1864  the  German 
school  was  removed  to  Warrenton,  Mo.,  where  it 
has  developed  into  Central  Wesleyan  College  and 
Theological  Seminary.  The  names  of  Phillip 
Kuhl  and  H.  A.  Koch  are  inseparably  connected 
with  this  first  educational  venture  of  German 
Methodism.  A little  later,  in  1859,  the  preachers 
in  Ohio  established  a college  in  connection  with 
Baldwin  University,  at  Berea,  Ohio.  This  Ger- 
man institution,  under  the  leadership  of  Jacob 
Rothweiler,  William  Nast  and  Carl  Riemen- 
schneider,  developed  into  the  German  Wallace 
College  and  Nast  Theological  Seminary  of  our 
day.  Both  of  these  theological  seminaries  were 
formally  approved  by  the  Board  of  Bishops  in 
1900.  At  the  present  time  there  are  seven  flour- 
ishing institutions  of  learning  under  control  of 
German  conferences,  the  value  of  whose  grounds, 
buildings  and  endowment  and  whose  enrollment 
is  as  follows:  1.  Central  Wesleyan  College  and 
Theological  Seminary,  Warrenton,  Mo.,  $200,- 
000,  315  students.  2.  German  Wallace  College 
and  Nast  Theological  Seminary,  Berea,  Ohio, 
$256,000,  279  students.  3.  Charles  City  College, 
Charles  City,  Iowa,  $113,000,  196  students.  4. 
German  College,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  $50,000, 


Methodism  and  the  Kepublic 

163  students.  5.  Blinn  Memorial  College,  Bren- 
ham,  Texas,  $60,000,  153  students.  6.  Saint 
Paul’s  College,  St.  Paul  Park,  Minn.,  $45,000, 
124  students.  7.  Enterprise  Normal  Academy, 
Enterprise,  Kans.,  $30,000,  162  students.  It  will 
be  seen  by  the  above  figures  that  German  Metho- 
dists have  invested  $750,000  in  higher  education 
and  that  they  are  every  year  giving  1,400  young 
people  a collegiate  training  under  the  best  of 
Christian  influences. 

Of  charitable  institutions  the  German  Church 
maintains  two  well-established  orphanages,  at 
Warrenton,  Mo.,  and  Berea,  Ohio,  both  founded 
in  1864,  and  together  caring  for  about  200  chil- 
dren. The  Home  for  the  Aged,  an  excellent 
institution,  is  beautifully  located  at  Quincy,  111. 
A comparatively  new  arm  of  service  is  the 
Deaconess  movement,  begun  in  1896,  though 
many  German  deaconesses  had  labored  privately, 
or  in  connection  with  English  hospitals  prior  to 
that  time.  There  is  now  an  elegant  property  in 
Cincinnati,  valued  at  $150,000,  known  as 
Bethesda  Hospital  and  Deaconess  Mother  Home, 
with  39  deaconesses  and  30  probationers.  In 
connection  wfith  this  central  home  there  are 
branch  homes  in  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Kansas 
City,  La  Crosse  and  St.  Paul.  Besides  these 
there  are  flourishing  independent  hospitals  and 
homes  in  Brooklyn  and  Louisville.  These  dea- 
conesses are  all  thoroughly  trained  and  conse- 
crated to  this  service  of  mercy,  and  they  are 
proving  themselves  a blessing  to  Methodism  as 
well  as  to  the  cause  of  religion. 


German  Methodism 


Influence 

In  estimating  the  influence  of  German  Metho- 
dism it  is  necessary  to  trace  its  indirect  as  well 
as  its  direct  service.  It  is  a matter  of  common 
comment  on  the  part  of  bishops  and  other  con- 
nectional  officers,  that  German  Methodism  today 
represents  the  primitive  evangelistic  and  pro- 
gressive type  of  Methodism  more  perfectly  than 
does  Methodism  at  large.  Remembering  that 
comparisons  are  odius,  German  Methodism  is  not 
given  to  boasting.  It  deplores  its  limitations  and 
imperfections,  but  boldly  asserts  that  it  will  hold 
firmly  to  those  usages  and  views  of  life  which 
have  been  a source  of  strength  in  the  past.  There 
is  thorough  biblical  and  catechistical  instruction. 
Conversions  are  slow  but  profound.  Religion  is 
taken  seriously.  The  members  have  strong  con- 
victions on  the  great  doctrinal  and  moral  ques- 
tions of  the  day.  Patriotism  is  a religious  duty 
and  loyalty  to  the  Government  is  unchallenged; 
nearly  3,000  German  Methodists  fought  and  died 
to  save  the  Union.  Systematic  giving  has  placed 
German  Methodists  in  the  vanguard  for  benevo- 
lences. The  Church  press  is  so  loyally  supported 
that  there  is  one  subscriber  to  every  three  mem- 
bers. The  Bible  is  the  rule  of  faith  and  the 
guide  of  life.  The  family  altar  is  still  intact. 
Preaching  is  biblical  and  spiritual,  rarely  sen- 
sational. Frequent  transfer  of  membership  and 
short  pastorates  are  unusual.  To  have  given  to 
America  a quarter  of  a million  of  citizens  trained 
up  to  these  ideals  is  surely  no  small  achievement. 
If,  according  to  Lecky,  Methodism  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century  saved  England  from  a French 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

Revolution,  it  may  be  that  German  Methodism  of 
the  nineteenth  century  has  wielded  a more 
potent  and  salutary  influence  on  our  national 
life  than  w^e  are  apt  to  think.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  find,  among  a like  number  of  men  in  gen- 
eral, an  equal  number  of  men  and  women  filling 
positions  of  responsibility  and  trust,  as  among 
the  64,000  German  Methodists  in  America. 
Everywhere  German  Methodists  stand  for  sobri- 
ety and  purity  of  life,  for  honesty  and  integrity 
in  business,  for  civic  and  industrial  righteous- 
ness. 

For  obvious  reasons  the  influence  of  German 
Methodists  on  the  connection  cannot  be  com- 
puted, though  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  German 
element  has  been  a blessing  to  Methodism.  In 
the  General  Conference  the  German  work  was 
represented  in  1848  by  two  men,  Nast  and 
Jacoby;  the  German  delegates  to  the  General 
Conference  of  1904  numbered  about  forty. 
When  any  radical  change  has  been  proposed,  like 
the  admission  of  women  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence, the  German  vote  has  always  been  conserva- 
tive. In  such  matters  as  the  evangelistic  forward 
movement,  the  Germans  have  been  as  aggressive 
as  any.  In  the  last  twenty-five  years  German 
Methodism  has  sent  forth  an  ever  increasing 
number  of  its  sons  and  daughters  into  the 
various  professions,  into  important  political  and 
mercantile  stations,  into  the  professors’  chairs 
at  various  seats  of  learning,  into  the  pastorate 
of  the  mother  Church  and  into  the  foreign  mis- 
sion fields.  Last  year  five  young  German  college 
graduates  entered  the  foreign  field  to  join  Kup- 


German  Methodism 


fer,  Ohlinger  and  Luring,  who  have  for  years 
labored  heroically  among  the  Christless  nations. 
A heavy  debt  of  gratitude  toward  the  mother 
Church  prompts  German  Methodism  to  loyally 
uphold  the  best  traditions  of  Methodism  and  to 
assist  in  spreading  scriptural  holiness  throughout 
this  land  and  the  world. 

There  is  no  question  that  the  German  Metho- 
dist press  and  pulpit  have  had  a wholesome  influ- 
ence on  other  German  churches  in  America  as 
well  as  in  the  Fatherland.  They  have  given 
their  unqualified  support  to  all  that  was  evan- 
gelical in  the  sister  churches,  and  at  the  same 
time  have  incited  them  to  greater  spirituality, 
more  careful  pastoral  and  evangelistic  work,  to 
stricter  views  regarding  temperance  and  Sabbath 
observance,  and  to  founding  Sunday  schools, 
young  people  ?s  societies  and  other  non-ritualistic 
meetings.  So  notorious  has  this  influence  of 
German  Methodism  become,  that  in  America  as 
well  as  in  Germany  earnest  evangelistic  church 
work  is  decried  as  Methodistic  fanaticism.  As 
an  indirect  result  of  the  work  of  German  Metho- 
dism the  state  churches  of  Germany  are  today 
experiencing  a spiritual  quickening  which  is  com- 
parable only  to  the  Wesleyan  movement  in  Eng- 
land in  the  eighteenth  century.  To  have  been 
instrumental  even  in  a small  degree  in  stirring 
up  the  gift  within  the  great  evangelical  churches 
of  America  and  Germany  is  no  slight  distinction. 

Outlook 

Immigration  from  Germany  reached  its  high- 
est mark  between  1880  and  1890.  In  recent  years 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


there  has  been  a slight  decline  owing  to  the  fact 
that  many  Germans  are  now  settling  in  Africa 
and  South  America.  Nevertheless,  there  are  still 
over  three  millions  of  persons  in  America,  born  in 
Germany  and  other  German  states,  and  there  are 
nearly  ten  million  citizens,  one  or  both  of  whose 
parents  wrere  born  in  German  lands.  While  it 
is  true  that  the  German  evangelical  churches  in 
America  are  faithfully  reaching  out  after  these 
millions  of  Germans  and  gathering  them  in  in 
large  numbers,  it  is  nevertheless  plain  to  see  that 
there  is  still  a wide  field  for  such  an  agent  as 
German  Methodism.  And  there  is  all  the  more 
need  of  effective  evangelistic  work  among  these 
newcomers,  because  many  of  them  are  imbued 
with  ideas  which  are  subversive  of  all  that  we 
hold  dear  in  the  church,  the  family  and  the  state. 
The  realistic  literature  of  the  day  has  lowered 
the  religious  and  moral  ideals  to  such  a degree 
that  profound  lapses  from  faith  and  virtue  are 
considered  every-day  trifles.  The  pessimism  of 
Schopenhauer  and  the  glorification  of  the  ego 
as  exemplified  by  Nietzsche,  have  penetrated  all 
classes  to  such  an  extent  that  many  have  left  the 
safe  moorings  of  the  past  and  have  adopted  a 
misanthropic  egotism  as  their  religious  creed. 
The  surviving  medievalism,  especially  the  mili- 
tarism of  Germany,  has  rightfully  caused  a re- 
action in  favor  of  the  rights  of  the  common  man. 
The  rabid  socialistic  press  of  Germany,  however, 
merely  antagonizes  every  existing  form  of  gov- 
ernment and  religious  and  social  conditions  in 
general  without  proposing  and  promoting  a safer 
and  saner  order  of  things.  This  prevailing 


German  Methodism 


“ Zeitgeist ” has  influenced  every  stratum  of  the 
Germans  to  a far  greater  degree  than  would  be 
possible  in  America.  Thus  it  happens  that  the 
German  immigrant  of  the  last  few  decades  ap- 
proaches our  shores  with  deep-rooted  prejudices 
which  are  inimical  to  a happy  social  or  indus- 
trial existence.  To  lead  these  estranged  masses 
back  into  the  folds  of  the  Church  and  to  a godly 
life  is  worthy  the  best  efforts  of  Methodism.  And 
to  this  patriotic  and  humanitarian  service  Ger- 
man Methodism  will  be  devoted  in  the  future  as 
it  has  been  in  the  past. 

The  serious  problem  of  German  Methodism  is 
the  fact  that  its  ranks  are  being  depleted  con- 
stantly by  the  transfer  of  members  to  the  Eng- 
lish-speaking churches.  Many  German  churches 
have  English  services  on  Sunday  evening,  and 
the  Sunday  schools  and  Epworth  Leagues  in  the 
cities  are  English  to  a considerable  degree.  This 
is  but  natural.  German  Methodists  are  not  clam 
nish,  nor  have  they  any  desire  to  establish  a 
New  Germany  in  America,  or  to  perpetuate  the 
German  language  as  such,  though  ‘ 4 he  hath 
twice  a soul  who  speaks  two  languages.  ” But 
they  have  persisted  in  the  use  of  the  German  lan- 
guage, even  where  recruits  from  the  Fatherland 
were  scarce,  because  language  is  not  only  the 
vehicle  but  also  the  index  of  thought.  To  ap- 
proach a German  on  a religious  subject  in  the 
German  tongue,  more  surely  touches  the  springs 
of  memory  and  the  chords  of  emotion  than  any 
other  means  employed.  The  German  language 
is  the  language  of  the  Reformation.  It  is  the 
key  to  the  priceless  treasures  of  German  theology 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

and  philosophy,  of  poetry,  music  and  art.  By 
employing  the  German  tongue  Methodism  has 
linked  together  the  best  traditions  of  Protestant 
Germany  with  the  rich  heritage  of  Protestant 
England  and  America. 

While  it  is  true  that  many  German  churches 
are  in  a stage  of  transition,  and  will  be  merged 
with  the  English  churches  in  the  course  of  time, 
the  great  majority  of  German  churches  are  des- 
tined to  wield  a glorious  and  growing  influence 
on  the  Germans  and  German-Americans  for 
many  years  to  come.  The  Church-at-large  and 
the  connectional  officers  should  therefore  heartily 
support  the  heroic  and  ofttimes  discouraging 
work  of  the  German  conferences,  both  by  their 
sympathetic  interest  and  financial  aid;  for,  if 
the  Past  is  the  teacher  of  the  Future,  such  sup- 
port will  be  but  as  ‘ ‘ bread  cast  upon  the  v/aters.  ’ ’ 


NORWEGIAN  AND  DANISH 
METHODISM 


BY  REV.  CARL  F.  ELTZHOLTZ 


SUMMARY 

Number  of  Norwegians  and  Danes  in  the  country.— A Tem- 
perance contingent.— Importance  of  the  Gospel  to  the  Scand- 
navian.— He  is  indifferent  to  the  State  (Lutheran)  Church.— Two 
apostolic  founders.— Their  message  one  with  power. — The  work 
sadly  crippled  by  the  transfer  of  the  leaders  to  Scandinavia.— A 
contrast  to  the  advantages  of  Swedish  or  German  Methodism 
under  the  continuous  leadership  of  their  founders.— A rallying 
of  discouraged  forces. —Present  status.— A faithful  contingent. 

There  are  between  one  and  a half  and  two 
millions  of  Norwegians  and  Danes  in  the  United 
States.  These  people  are  scattered  all  over  the 
country.  There  are  many  more  Norwegians  here 
than  Danes.  I will  mention  the  following  States 
which  about  six  years  ago  had  each  more  than 
70,000  Norwegians  and  Danes:  Minnesota,  417,- 
182;  South  Dakota,  79,199;  North  Dakota,  119,- 
032 ; Iowa,  131,240 ; Illinois,  135,090 ; Wisconsin, 
279,882.  The  other  States  had  from  53,182 
(New  York)  down  to  95  (North  Carolina)  Nor- 
wegians and  Danes.  And  they  are  still  coming 
by  the  thousands  every  year.  They  are  con- 
sidered to  be  among  the  most  desirable  immi- 
grants. I am  pleased  to  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  Local  Option  and  Prohibition  senti- 
ment is  very  strong  in  five  of  the  above-named 
six  States  that  are  most  thickly  settled  by  Nor- 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

wegians  and  Danes.  Mrs.  S.  F.  Grubb,  who  at 
that  time  was  W.  C.  T.  U.  National  Superin- 
tendent of  Work  among  Foreigners,  wrote  some 
years  ago,  “As  the  Scandinavians  go,  so  goes 
Dakota,’ ’ which  has  passed  into  a proverb  in 
that  State.  But  now  where  do  the  Scandinavians 
(of  whom  about  one-half  are  Norwegians  and 
Danes)  go  in  this  country?  The  Union  Signal 
some  years  ago  paid  the  following  compliment 
to  the  Scandinavians:  North  Dakota  is  a pro- 
hibition State  because,  while  Americans  de- 
spaired, Scandinavians  went  to  the  ballot  box 
and  saved  the  State.  ’ ’ 

In  answer  to  the  question, Where  do  the  Scan- 
dinavians (in  this  case  the  Norwegians  and 
Danes)  go?  it  is  very  gratifying  to  be  able  to  say 
that  the  Home  Missionary  Society  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  is  doing  its  best  through 
its  many  missions  for  Norwegians  and  Danes,  to 
turn  and  guide  them  aright,  so  that  they  will  go 
where  they  ought  to  go  and  do  what  they  ought 
to  do;  and  it  is  endeavoring  to  imbue  their 
character  with  the  mind  which  was  also  in 
Christ  Jesus,  so  that  they  will  be  what  they 
ought  to  be — total  abstainers  and  true  Chris- 
tians. 

But  why  should  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
send  missionaries  and  organize  missions  among 
these  and  other  foreigners  who  have  settled  down 
in  our  midst  more  than  a million  strong  during 
the  last  year?  Because  only  comparatively  few 
of  them  are  converted  to  God,  and  if  the  Church 
of  Christ  does  not  promptly  and  swiftly  extend 
its  helping,  guiding  and  loving  hand  towards 


Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism 

these  strangers,  the  saloon  element,  the  anarchist 
and  infidels  will  entice  and  win  them.  It  is, 
therefore,  the  solemn  and  imperative  duty  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  in  His  Name  to  preach 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  unto  all  the 
nations  which  are  permitted  to  enter  and  set- 
tle down  in  our  country.  This  we  should  do  for 
the  Lord’s  sake ; for  the  sake  of  these  poor,  home- 
sick and  lost  souls ; for  the  sake  of  ourselves  and 
our  own  country,  which  will  be  foreignized  and 
debased  if  these  strangers  are  not  Americanized 
and  exalted  to  honest  citizenship  and  to  the 
experience  of  true  Christianity. 

The  Norwegians  and  Danes  come  from  coun- 
tries where  a certain  sect  (in  this  case  the 
Lutheran  sect)  is  established  as  a State  Church 
of  which  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  State  who 
have  not  withdrawn  from  it  are  considered  as 
members  whether  they  are  Christians  or  not; 
and  the  great  majority  of  the  people  in  these 
countries  do  not  seem  to  have  even  the  form  of 
Godliness,  and  it  is  a fact  that  their  transporta- 
tion from  Norwray  and  Denmark  to  the  United 
States  does  not  produce  any  transformation  in 
their  character.  They  should,  therefore,  be  ap- 
proached with  the  pure  Gospel  of  Christ, 
preached  in  their  own  language,  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible after  their  landing,  that  they  may  be 
brought  to  Christ  and  be  saved.  Most  of  the 
Norwegians  and  Danes  that  come  to  this  country 
despise  and  disregard  their  own  State  Church 
in  which  they  have  been  brought  up,  to  such  an 
extent  that  a Lutheran  minister  some  time  ago 
declared  in  a Lutheran  paper  that  only  a little 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

more  than  6 percent  of  the  Danes  in  this  coun- 
try and  about  33  percent  of  the  Norwegians 
are  members  of  any  church.  That  is  to  say,  that 
more  than  1,200,000  Norwegians  and  Danes  in 
this  country  disregard  the  religion  of  Christ  and 
the  Church  of  God  so  completely  that  they  have 
no  visible  connection  with  it  whatever.  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  Methodism  has,  therefore,  a 
great  work  to  do  in  behalf  of  this  vast  multitude 
that  has  settled  down  outside  the  visible  fold  of 
Christ. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  now  for 
many  years  had  prosperous  missions  among  these 
people.  As  Norwegians  and  Danes  speak  the 
same  language  they  work  harmoniously  together 
for  the  salvation  of  their  countrymen.  The  lan- 
guage is  called  Danish  in  Denmark  and  Nor- 
wegian in  Norway. 

The  founders  of  Norwegian  and  Danish  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  missions  in  the  United  States 
are  the  Rev.  C.  Willerup  and  the  Rev.  O.  T. 
Petersen.  Mr.  Petersen  is  also  the  founder  of 
Methodism  in  Denmark. 

The  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Cambridge,  Wis.,  was  organized 
by  Rev.  C.  Willerup  in  the  spring  of  1851.  It 
was  incorporated  May  3,  1851.  This  church  is 
the  mother  church  of  Norwegian  and  Danish 
Methodism.  The  church  building  was  dedicated 
July  21,  1852.  This  is  the  first  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  that  was  ever  built  by  Norwegians, 
Danes  or  Swedes  in  this  or  any  other  country. 
This  old  sanctuary  is  venerated  by  Norwegian 
and  Danish  Methodists,  in  a measure,  as  Old 


Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism 

John  Street  Church,  New  York,  is  venerated  by 
American  Methodism. 

The  Rev.  C.  Willerup,  who  was  born  in  Den- 
mark in  1815,  emigrated  quite  young  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  converted  to  God  among 
the  English-speaking  Methodists  in  the  South. 
After  his  conversion  he  prepared  for  the  minis- 
try, and  in  due  time  he  became  a member  of 
Genesee  Conference.  At  that  time  he  preached 
in  the  English  language.  When  it  became  known 
at  the  mission  rooms  that  Mr.  Willerup  was  a 
Dane  he  was  secured  for  the  Norwegian  and 
Danish  work  and  sent  to  Cambridge,  Wis.,  in 
1850.  Here  he  had  a great  revival.  Many  souls 
were  awakened  and  converted  to  God.  So  great 
was  the  influence  of  the  Word  of  God  that  there 
was  not  a day,  Mr.  Willerup  writes,  when  he 
was  at  home  but  there  were  from  ten  to  twenty 
persons  coming  to  see  him  about  their  spiritual 
interests,  asking,  “What  must  I do?” 

Though  Pastor  Willerup  was  sent  as  a mis- 
sionary to  our  people  in  Wisconsin  in  1850, 
where  he  organized  the  first  Norwegian  and  Dan- 
ish Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  world 
in  1851,  the  Rev.  0.  T.  Petersen,  who  was  born 
in  Norway  in  1822  and  converted  to  God  on  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  preached  the  Gospel  to  his  coun- 
trymen in  Norway  in  1849,  though  no  church 
was  organized,  and  this  before  Pastor  Willerup 
had  taken  up  work  among  the  Norwegians  and 
Danes  in  this  country.  A powerful  revival  was 
commenced  and  many  precious  souls  were  con- 
verted to  God. 

After  Mr.  Petersen  returned  to  this  country 
Si  g.  15 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


he  was  sent  in  1851  to  Iowa  as* a missionary  to 
his  countrymen.  He  became  a member  of  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference.  As  the  new  missionary 
could  find  no  house  in  the  Norwegian  settlement 
where  he  intended  to  begin  his  work,  he  was 
compelled  to  rent  a house  in  Prairie  du  Chien, 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  nearest  Norwegian 
settlement.  This  was  very  inconvenient.  Pastor 
Petersen,  who  preached  the  Word  of  God  with 
great  power  in  many  different  settlements,  or- 
ganized in  1852  at  Washington  Prairie,  Iowa, 
the  first  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  west  of  the  Mississippi.  He  had  a 
very  large  circuit  to  take  care  of;  it  took  him 
four  weeks  to  go  through  it.  At  these  monthly 
visits  there  were  great  manifestations  of  the 
power  of  God  to  move  the  hearts  of  his  hearers. 
In  some  places  the  people  followed  him  on  the 
way,  asking  him  with  tears  to  pray  with  them 
before  he  left. 

Willerup  visited  Petersen  at  Washington 
Prairie  and  stayed  with  him  ten  days.  They 
preached  twice  every  day  in  the  woods  as  long 
as  he  remained  there  and  they  had  a glorious 
time.  In  April,  1853,  Petersen  visited  Willerup 
at  Cambridge,  where  he  had  the  pleasure'  of 
preaching  in  the  new  church  to  a large  congrega- 
tion and  the  Lord  gave  him  great  liberty  to  de- 
clare the  Word.  They  had  meetings  every  day 
and  sometimes  twice  a day,  and  the  blessing  of 
the  Lord  rested  upon  them.  While  at  Cambridge 
Petersen  received  a letter  from  Bishop  B.  Waugh 
asking  him  to  return  to  Norway  to  continue  the 
work  he  had  begun  there  in  1849. 


Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism 

Petersen  returned  home  to  Iowa,  accepted  the 
call,  and  left  the  little  flock  the  Lord  had  given 
him  on  July  4,  1853.  It  was  difficult  for  the 
faithful  pastor  to  leave  his  spiritual  children 
who  still  needed  his  watchful  care,  but  the  call 
of  duty  had  to  be  obeyed.  This  appointment 
was  a great  gain  for  Norway  but  a heavy  loss 
to  the  newly-organized  Norwegian  and  Danish 
mission  in  the  United  States. 

Pastor  C.  Willerup  continued  his  labors  in 
Wisconsin  and  visited  other  States  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  mission,  the 
burden  of  which,  after  the  departure  of  Pastor 
Petersen,  largely  rested  on  his  shoulders.  The 
Lord  raised  up  a few  earnest  men  to  supply 
the  work  which  Willerup  and  Petersen  had  or- 
ganized, among  whom  the  Rev.  H.  Garden,  C.  T. 
Agrelius  and  Samuel  Andersen  must  be  kept  in 
grateful  remembrance  for.  their  works’  sake. 

In  1854  the  Presiding  Elder,  I.  M.  Liahy,  re- 
ported concerning  the  Norwegian  and  Danish 
work:  “It -has  now  been  in  operation  a little 
more  than  three  years.  We  have  in  all  about 
400  members.  It  has  made  its  way  into  most  of 
the  Scandinavian  settlements  in  this  State  (Wis- 
consin) and  Minnesota.”  The  same  year  Wil- 
lerup reported  concerning  the  work  in  Cam- 
bridge and  the  other  preaching  places  in  connec- 
tion with  it:  “We  have  at  present  in  our  society 
180  members  and  46  on  trial,  5 local  preachers, 
two  of  whom  are  recommended  for  admission  to 
the  Conference,  3 exhorters,  11  class  leaders,  84 
scholars  in  Sabbath  school,  17  teachers,  and  460 
volumes  in  the  library.  ’ ’ 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

In  1855  Willerup  reported  that  they  had  com- 
menced to  build  a church  in  Racine,  and  one  on 
Heart  Prairie,  and  that  they  were  laying  plans 
to  build  one  in  Primrose.  These  reports  show 
that  the  work  among  the  Norwegians  and  Danes 
at  that  time  was  in  a healthy  condition,  and  that 
it  had  developed  to  a prosperous  mission  under 
the  efficient  leadership  of  Pastor  C.  Willerup.  At 
that  time  he  received  a letter  from  Bishop  T.  A. 
Morris,  dated  Cincinnati,  December  22,  1855,  in 
which  he  stated  that  a superintendent  was  needed 
for  our  Scandinavian  missions  in  Europe,  and 
the  Bishop  asked  him  if  he  would  be  willing 
to  go. 

Pastor  Willerup  accepted  the  appointment.  In 
1856  he  left  the  United  States  for  Norway,  where 
he  arrived  July  3,  1856.  This  was  another  heavy 
loss  for  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodist 
missions  in  this  country.  Both  its  strong,  elo- 
quent and  indefatigable  leaders  had  now  left  the 
successful  and  thriving  young  mission  and  there 
was  not  a man  left  that  was  competent  to  fill 
the  place  of  either  of  them.  This  was  such  a 
stunning  blow  to  the  young  mission  that  it  gave 
it  such  a setback  in  its  prosperity  and  develop- 
ment that  it  took  many  years  before  the  mission 
could  recover  from  it.  While  the  German  and  the 
Swedish  Methodist  missions  continued  to  enjoy 
the  leadership  respectively  of  Dr.  William  Nast 
and  the  venerable  pastor,  0.  G.  Hedstrom,  the 
Norwegians  and  Danes  with  tear-dimmed  eyes 
had  to  witness  the  departure  of  their  Elijahs 
without  having  even  an  Elisha  to  fill  their  places. 
They  could  only  stand  in  their  loneliness  and 


Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism 

cry,  “Father,  father,  the  chariot  of  Israel  and 
the  horsemen  thereof.’ 9 

It  is  a serious  matter  for  a church  or  a mission 
to  lose  its  leaders  when  it  is  in  a formative  con- 
dition. There  were  only  a few  missionaries  left 
to  supply  the  work,  and  there  was  none  among 
them  that  was  able  to  take  a leading  part  in  the 
mission.  The  Norwegian  and  Danish  work  was, 
therefore,  either  scattered  among  the  English- 
speaking  districts  or  they  organized  as  districts 
under  Swedish  Presiding  Elders. 

But  did  the  scattered  missions  every  rally 
again?  Yes,  they  did.  After  years  of  discour- 
agement and  disappointment  the  Lord  raised  up 
new  leaders.  The  separated  Norwegian  and 
Danish  missions  were  first  united  in  districts, 
and  about  twenty-four  years  after  the  departure 
of  Pastor  Wilier  up  the  Norwegian  and  Danish 
work  was  organized  as  an  Annual  Conference  at 
Racine,  Wis.,  the  city  in  wdiich  Pastor  Wiilerup 
was  stationed  when  he  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  work  in  Scandinavia.  The  con- 
ference was  organized  in  1880  by  Bishop  W.  L. 
Harris. 

Since  then  the  work  has  prospered.  Norwegian 
and  Danish  Methodism  in  the  United  States  has 
now  two  Annual  Conferences,  the  Norwegian  and 
Danish  Conference  and  the  Western  Norwegian- 
Danish  Conference  (on  the  Pacific  Coast).  We 
have  a number  of  prosperous  missions  on  the 
Atlantic  Coast.  The  work  in  the  old  historic 
Bethel  Ship  mission  is  prospering  grandly ; their 
roomy  church  is  too  small.  New  missions  have 
been  organized  in  Brooklyn  and  New  York.  We 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

have  a splendid  mission  in  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J., 
and  other  places  on  the  coast  concerning  which 
I have  no  statistical  information.  We  also  have 
missions  in  Utah. 

Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism  has  three 
book  concerns;  it  publishes  four  weekly  papers 
and  three  Sunday-school  papers,  and  has  three 
theological  schools. 

While  we  thank  God  for  this  substantial  suc- 
cess, we  acknowledge  with  grateful  hearts  that 
Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism  could  never 
have  been  possible  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
liberal  support  and  the  tender  care  of  our  mother 
Church,  but  we  also  rejoice  to  know  that  these 
missionary  grants  have  not  been  made  in  vain. 
These  thousands  of  Norwegians  and  Danish 
Methodists  who  have  been  won  for  Christ  and 
the  Church  are  as  a whole  loyal  to  our  Methodist 
doctrine,  discipline  and  institutions,  and  there 
are  thousands  of  Sunday-school  children  whom 
we  are  trying  to  win  for  God  and  the  Church. 
This  million  dollars  worth  of  church  property  we 
have  accumulated  during  this  past  of  hard  work 
belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  the 
many  thousands  of  dollars  which  we  have  col- 
lected for  missions  and  other  benevolent  church 
work  have  reverted  to  the  treasury  of  our  mother 
Church,  and  thus  the  Norwegian  and  Danish 
missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  are, 
like  the  other  prosperous  missions  of  our  Church, 
endeavoring  in  their  humble  way  to  build  up  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  the  Church  we  love  so  well. 


THE  FUTURE  OF  SWEDISH 
METHODISM 


BY  C.  G.  NELSON,  D.D. 


A little  over  sixty  years  ago,  or  1845,  Swedish 
Methodism  was  organized.  There  was  then  one 
preacher,  Rev.  Olaf  Gustaf  Hedstrom.  His  ap- 
pointment was  the  ‘ 4 North  River  Mission,’ ’ his 
church  a condemned  vessel  that  had  been  pur- 
chased cheap,  rebuilt  so  that  it  made  a room  for 
worship  and  a pastor’s  office  and  class  room. 
This  ship  was  rechristened  and  called  the  Bethel 
Ship  “John  Wesley.”  This  was  the  cradle  of 
Swedish  Methodism.  Here  Pastor  Hedstrom 
gathered  a few  converted  sailors  and  immigrants 
and  commenced  this  work  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  He  had  previously  been  converted  and 
called  to  the  ministry  and  had  preached  in  the 
English-speaking  part  of  the  Church  for  ten 
years,  and  it  was  with  great  diffidence  and  much 
fear  that  he  was  persuaded  to  begin  this  work; 
but  he  soon  realized  that  it  was  of  the  Lord  and 
entered  into  it  with  zeal,  and  soon  saw  some 
conversions  and  a class  wrns  organized. 

At  this  juncture  one  might  well  have  said, 
What  shall  become  of  this  child;  this  organiza- 
tion ? With  only  one  preacher ; no  church  except 
an  old  ship ; no  church  literature ; no  church 
paper  or  press;  no  institution  of  learning  for 
training  Swedish  preachers  or  even  a competent 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

teacher ; how  could  the  work  succeed  ? There  was 
at  that  time  probably  not  one  Swede  for  every 
ten  thousand  inhabitants  in  America.  Would  it 
not  squander  time,  efforts  and  money  even  to  try 
to  do  mission  work  among  these  few  and  try 
to  reach  and  influence  them  in  their  mother 
tongue?  Are  they  not  in  America  and  do  they 
not  intend  to  become  Americans,  and  who  knows 
if  any  more  will  come  ? 

I fear  some  wise  men,  without  much  debate, 
would  have  been  ready  to  settle  the  matter  by 
saying,  “What’s  the  use?  We  can  never  gather 
any  congregation,  and  even  if  we  should  succeed 
in  getting  a score  or  two  converted,  they  may 
soon  scatter  or  die  and  our  work  be  in  vain. 
Brother  Hedstrom,  let  us  close  up  before  we 
begin,  and  go  each  to  our  homes!” 

But  God  thought  otherwise,  and  with  Him  were 
the  Bishops  and  other  leading  men  of  the  Church, 
and  with  them  was  Olaf  Gustaf  Hedstrom,  a 
man  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with 
him  were  a few  praying  and  faithful  saints, 
and  the  results  we  know  in  part.  The  work  was 
begun  in  the  name  of  Jesus  with  prayer  and 
faith,  and  God  has  crowned  it  with  success. 

Hundreds  were  saved  in  the  Bethel  Ship  from 
their  sins  and  sinful  lives,  and  became  living 
and  zealous  Christian  workers.  Some  of  these 
returned  to  the  Fatherland  and  there  kindled 
revival  fires,  and  some  journeyed  to  the  great 
West  and  settled — some  in  cities  and  some  in 
rural  districts;  and  wherever  they  went  they 
testified  of  the  great  salvation  they  had  experi- 
enced. Some  who  heard  them  and  saw  their 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 

earnest  Christian  life  and  work,  believed  in  and 
sought  the  same  blessing  and  joined  them,  and 
as  a result  classes  and  societies  were  organized  in 
various  places — at  Victoria,  Andover,  Galesburg, 
Bishop  Hill,  Chicago,  Donovan  and  Rockford, 
111.,  and  in  St.  Paul,  Marine,  Chisago  Lake  and 
Vasa,  Minn.;  and  from  these  the  work  was  fur- 
ther extended  to  many  other  places. 

Men  with  more  or  less  general  education  were 
converted,  called  of  God  and  sent  out  to  preach, 
and  were  more  or  less  successful.  Souls  were 
converted  and  more  societies  were  organized; 
churches  and  parsonages  were  erected,  and  thus 
the  work  was  established  firmly  among  our  peo- 
ple in  spite  of  a persistent  and  vicious  opposi- 
tion from  all  sides.  Not  only  from  the  arch 
enemy  of  all  good  and  from  his  avowed  friends, 
the  wicked  world,  but  also,  alas,  the  clergy  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  who  warned  all  their  peo- 
ple against  the  heretics  (the  Methodists),  for- 
bidding them  to  even  hear  their  preaching  or 
harbor  them  in  their  houses.  So  that  it  came  to 
pass  that  ‘ ‘ they  were  everywhere  spoken 
against ; ’ ’ but  for  all  this,  Swedish  Methodism 
steadily  advanced. 

Soon  after  the  planting  of  this  movement  there 
was  felt  a need  of  literature  in  the  Swedish  lan- 
guage to  build  up  the  converts  in  their  most  holy 
faith.  A few  books  were  translated,  such  as 
“John  Nelson’s  Journal,”  “Hester  Ann  Rod- 
gers,” “Porter’s  Compendium  of  Methodism,” 
“Fletcher’s  Appeal,”  “Wesley’s  Christian  Per- 
fection” and  our  Church  “Discipline.”  All 
these  were  very  imperfectly  translated,  so  that 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

if  it  were  now,  they  would  not  be  a credit  to 
our  literary  ability  in  either  English  or  Swed- 
ish; but  they  did  much  good  and  served  their 
time. 

Next,  a little  church  paper  was  published, 
Sandibudit.  This  was  a six-column,  four-page 
weekly  and  became  a potent  factor  for  the  de- 
fense of  our  doctrines  and  workers,  and  did 
much  good.  This  paper  is  still  published,  but 
it  has  grown  to  a sixteen-page  weekly  of  about 
the  size  and  form  of  the  Northwestern  Christian 
Advocate.  It  is  edited  by  Rev.  Wm.  Heuschen, 
Ph.D.,  one  of  the  most  learned  Swedes  in 
America.  And  let  me  assure  you,  brethren,  who 
may  not  be  readers  of  this  valuable  Church  or- 
gan, that  it  is  well  edited  and  stands  for  the 
defense  and  promulgation  of  the  Gospel  ac- 
cording to  Methodism. 

Next  in  order  of  development  came  our  theo- 
logical seminary  for  the  education  of  candidates 
for  the  ministry.  This  was  begun  in  a small 
way,  with  a class  of  three  young  men,  of  whom 
two  have  already  gone  to  the  great  beyond. 
One  is  with  us,  the  Rev.  Alfred  Anderson,  the 
efficient  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Chicago  District. 
The  first  teacher  in  the  Seminary  was  the  Rev. 
Dr.  N.  0.  Westergren,  who  was  also  pastor  in 
Galesburg,  where  our  school  was  organized 
(1870).  He  is  still  in  the  pastorate,  though 
superannuated. 

The  Swedish  work  had,  up  to  1877,  been  at- 
tached to  English-speaking  conferences  and  had 
attained  to  the  dignity  of  three  Swedish  dis- 
tricts, of  which  the  Illinois  and  the  Iowa  Pi^ 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


tricts  belonged  to  the  Central  Illinois  Confer- 
ence, and  one,  the  Minnesota  District,  to  the 
Minnesota  Conference,  with  a few  scattering 
congregations  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 
Now  an  epoch-making  incident  occurred,  namely, 
the  organization  of  the  Northwestern  Swedish 
Conference. 

By  this  action  our  work  was  consolidated  and 
gained  strength  by  future  development.  We 
could  more  easily  adjust  our  force  of  workers, 
show  a more  solid  front  to  our  opponents,  feel 
the  inspiring  touch  of  our  brothers-in-arms  and 
were  more  fully  recognized  and  efficiently  aided 
by  our  benevolent  societies,  and  the  result  of 
all  this  was  a more  sure  and  steady  growth  of 
our  Swedish  Methodism.  More  and  better 
churches  and  parsonages  were  built,  more  new 
congregations  were  organized  and  the  older  ones 
grew  larger  and  stronger. 

Our  theological  school,  which  up  to  1881  was 
like  the  minister  in  the  itinerant  system,  then 
attained  a central  location  in  Evanston,  111., 
where  our  first  school  building  was  erected  in 
1883,  on  the  campus  of  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, on  a leasehold.  Rev.  Albert  Ericson, 
A.M.,  D.D.,  was  that  year  elected  President  of. 
the  Seminary,  which  position  he  still  holds  and 
is  in  the  effective  ranks. 

The  location  of  our  Seminary  in  Evanston 
was  another  epoch-making  factor  in  our  work; 
for  here  we  can  with  a comparatively  small  out- 
lay on  our  part  (by  our  students  having  access 
to  the  courses  in  the  Northwestern  University 
and  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  and  ourselves; 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

instructing  in  the  Swedish  language  and  litera- 
ture and  theology  in  Swedish  terms,  and  a few 
other  branches)  give  our  students  the  advantage 
of  the  highest  and  best  instruction  offered  by 
any  educational  institution  of  our  land,  and 
thus  give  them  thorough  equipment  for  their  life 
work. 

This  has  given  great  encouragement  and  in- 
spiration toward  success  to  Swedish  Methodism, 
and  will  in  the  future  give  still  more. 

In  1888  another  epoch-making  act  was  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Swedish  Methodist  Episcopal 
Book  Concern.  To  this  we  w^ere  impelled,  or 
compelled,  by  conditions  over  which  we  had  no 
control. 

Then  we  have  in  Swedish  Methodism  a home 
for  indigent  old  Christians,  ‘ 6 The  Bethany 
Home/’  located  at  Ravenswood,  Chicago.  This 
home  was  founded  largely  through  the  liberality 
of  our  honored  brother  banker,  John  R.  Lind- 
gren,  in  memory  of  his  beloved  parents,  both 
of  whom,  many  years  ago,  went  home  to  glory. 
God  bless  Brother  Lindgren  for  this  noble  char- 
ity, and  may  this  good  institution  be  sustained 
and  continue  as  long  as  any  indigent  Swedish 
pilgrim  remains  this  side  of  Heaven. 

In  1893  still  another  epoch-making  step  was 
taken,  when  our  Northwestern  Swedish  Confer- 
ence, which  up  to  that  time  had  spread  over 
eleven  great  States  and  Territories,  was  divided 
into  three  conferences — the  Central  and  the 
Western  Annual  Conferences  and  the  Northern 
Mission  Conference.  By  said  division  our  work 
wTithin  each  respective  field  has  been  further 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


strengthened  and  developed  and  our  mutual  in- 
terests have  not  suffered,  because  at  the  division 
it  was  so  arranged  that  each  conference  should 
have  equal  pro  rata  share  in  their  support  and 
management. 

During  this  time  our  work  in  the  East  has 
been  organized  into  an  Annual  Conference. 
This,  as  all  now  agree,  has  greatly  aided  in  fur- 
thering the  best  interests  of  the  work  in  that  im- 
portant field.  This  conference  now  also  has  a 
share  in  the  support  and  management  of  our 
joint  institutions. 

Our  work  has  now  pushed  its  frontiers  to  the 
North  Pacific  Coast,  where  we  have  our  Swedish 
District  in  the  Puget  Sound  Conference,  with 
work  in  three  States,  and  to  the  South  Pacific 
Coast,  where  we  have  one  Swedish  District  in 
the  great  State  of  California,  and  also  one  Swed- 
ish District  in  the  Empire  State  of  Texas.  These 
ail  are  embryo  conferences  of  the  future. 

In  our  Swedish  Methodism  in  America  we 
have  now  four  Annual  Conferences  and  three 
Swedish  Districts  in  as  many  English-speaking 
conferences.  In  these  all  we  have  over  225 
churches  and  130  parsonages,  with  a valuation, 
including  Bethany  Home  and  our  Seminary,  of 
a little  less  than  one  and  a half  million  dollars, 
with  about  220  pastors  and  about  17,000  lay 
members  and  about  an  equal  number  of  Sunday- 
school  children  and  Epworth  Leaguers.  We 
have  reason,  we  think,  to  thank  God  and  take 
courage.  Besides  this  we  have,  as  an  outgrowth 
of  this,  about  an  equal  army  in  Sweden  march- 
ing to  Zion  under  the  banner  of  the  cross  and 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

under  the  tutelage  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  This  the  result  of  about  sixty  years  of 
a work  begun  by  God  with  one  man. 

But  What  of  the  Future? 

Let  us  look  first,  for  a moment,  at  the  discour- 
agements. In  what  condition  are  we,  and  what 
negative  influences  environ  us?  What  difficul- 
ties have  we  to  contend  with  ? What  weaknesses 
among  ourselves?  What  losses  have  we  sus- 
tained and  what  losses  are  we  likely  to  sustain? 
How  may  it  go  with  Swedish  Methodism  in  the 
future  ? 

These  questions  are  all  of  grave  importance 
for  Swedish  Methodism  in  America,  as  well, 
indeed,  as  for  all  English-speaking  parts  of  the 
great  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  These  ques- 
tions studied  in  the  light  of  the  past,  the  present 
and  the  future  possibilities,  may  test  our  faith 
to  its  utmost  with  reference  to  the  future. 

First  of  all,  I mention  the  fact  that  we  are  in 
America,  and  thank  God  that  we  are  here,  most 
of  us,  by  choice  and  not  by  accident.  Here  all 
is  American;  that  is,  American  in  thinking,  in 
practice,  in  language  (English).  The  tenden- 
cies of  all  our  environments,  commercial,  social 
and  political,  are  to  Americanize  us.  Our  chil- 
dren attend  the  English-speaking  public  schools 
and  colleges,  and  we  speak  English  largely  in 
our  families.  Our  neighbors  are  Americans.  In 
our  travels  the  English  is  used,  so  that  the  ten- 
dencies are  altogether  in  this  direction,  and 
what  is  more,  we  would  not  have  it  otherwise  if 
we  could;  for  our  intention  is  not  to  establish 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


a Sweden  in  America,  but  to  become  thorough 
Americans,  and,  if  possible,  the  best  type  of 
Americans. 

The  only  difference,  my  English-speaking 
brother,  between  your  Americanism  and  mine, 
is  this:  you  came  over  the  day  before  yesterday 
in  the  person  of  your  ancestors,  and  I came  yes- 
terday in  my  owrn  dignified  person.  But  we  are 
both  Americans — Americans  to  the  core — and 
I am  willing,  if  you  are,  to  join  in  singing  that 
beautiful  hymn  where  these  words  are  found: 
“Together  let  us  sweetly  live, 

Together  let  us  die” — 

as  Americans. 

Is  it  not  likely  that  under  such  circumstances 
many  Swedish  Methodists  in  this  country,  and 
especially  our  children  born  to  us  here,  will  lose 
their  Swedish  language  and  thereby  be  lost  to 
Swedish  Methodism?  Most  assuredly.  "We  both 
have  lost  and  are  losing  many  every  year.  Yes, 
some  quite  recent  arrivals,  even,  have  lost  their 
Swedish  language  before  they  had  time  to  learn 
the  English.  This  last-named  class  are,  I think, 
to  be  pitied,  for  they  are  poor  indeed,  but  such 
are  few  and  hardly  worth  mentioning. 

That  our  children  become  Americanized  is  as 
natural  as  that  the  sun  rises  in  the  East.  That 
they  lose  the  Swedish  tongue  is  equally  natural 
and  easy,  unless  we.  make  special  efforts  to  in- 
struct them  in  our  beautiful  language ; and  this, 
I think,  we  ought  to  do,  and  it  can  be  done  if 
right  means  are  used,  and  it  will  do  them  good 
intellectually  as  well  as  financially,  socially  and 
religiously.  But  where  this  is  neglected,  in  the 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

very  nature  of  the  case  we  must  lose  them  as 
factors  in  our  work;  and  if  it  is  necessary  for 
us  to  exist  at  all  as  specifically  Swedish  Metho- 
dist churches,  it  is  both  wise  and  necessary  for 
aggressive  work  that  we  build  our  young  people 
into  our  Church  life  as  far  as  possible,  so  as  to 
increase  our  numbers  and  inspire  our  workers 
and  make  strong  churches. 

Another  source  of  weakness  is  to  be  found  in 
the  matrimonial  line.  The  young,  black-haired, 
swarthy-complexioned  Yankee  espies  our  fair- 
complexioned,  light-haired,  blue-eyed  and  rosy- 
cheeked  maiden,  or  our  ambitious,  fair-com- 
plexioned  Swedish  young  man  casts  his  eyes  on 
a black-eyed  and  bright  young  American  girl, 
and  they  are  mutually  pleased  with  each  other 
and  go  and  get  married ; and  that,  say  you,  is  all 
right,  and  so  it  is,  but  then,  when  they  are  to 
select  the  church  to  which  they  are  to  belong, 
in  the  very  nature  of  the  case  they  join  the 
church  where  both  understand  the  language,  and 
that  will,  in  nearly  every  case,  be  your  English- 
speaking  church. 

In  this  way  our  Swedish  churches  are  depleted 
and  our  English-speaking  churches  are  enriched 
every  year. 

Another  cause  of  loss  to  us  is  found  in  the  mi- 
gratory tendency  among  our  people.  Many  who 
have  been  converted  through  the  labors  of  Swed- 
ish Methodism  move  to  other  places.  The  gen- 
eral tendency  is  to  go  West,  and  often  they  lo- 
cate where  we  have  no  Swedish  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  They  will  generally  join  the 
English-speaking  Methodist  Episcopal  church  if 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


they  understand  the  English  language  measur- 
ably well,  and  thus  again  we  Swedes  lose  and 
your  English-speaking  churches  gain  by  our  loss, 
many  each  year. 

The  necessity  for  preaching  in  foreign  lan- 
guages, and  Swedish  as  well  as  the  rest,  lies  in 
the  difficulty  of  learning  the  English  language 
sufficiently  well  to  understand  a sermon  in  the 
same  by  those  who  come  to  this  country  in  ma- 
ture years  and  have  no  opportunity  or  time  to 
attend  English  schools,  having  families  to  sup- 
port and  educate  and  homes  to  purchase  and  pay 
for,  and  if  possible,  to  acquire  a competence  and 
at  least  to  provide  against  poverty  and  destitu- 
tion in  old  age.  The  laboring  men  have  a hard 
enough  task  and  have  not  time  or  opportunity 
or  even  energy  left  to  attend  school.  They  do 
learn  enough  of  the  language  to  know  the  names 
of  their  tools  and  the  tasks  they  have  to  perform 
and  necessary  transactions  in  their  business,  and 
may  learn  many  words  and  their  meaning;  but, 
when  it  comes  to  understanding  theological 
terms  and  the  higher  language  used  in  your 
English-speaking  pulpits,  it  is  very  difficult  and 
almost  impossible  in  many  cases. 

For  instance,  one  of  our  late  Bishops  once  or- 
dained Elders  in  Swedish  at  conference.  When 
rendering  the  Yeni  Creator  Spiritus,  in  reading 
the  word  Gus,  which  is  the  Swedish  for  light,  he 
called  it  Shuts,  which  means  a ride.  So  he 
prayed  the  Lord  to  give  us  a ride  from  heaven. 
Though  I apprehended  he  had  not  the  remotest 
thought  about  an  Elijah  chariot  at  that  time,  I 
hope  the  angels  carried  him  in  his  ascent  later. 

Sig.  16 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

I have  been  told  that  in  meeting  with  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  conferences  he  essayed  to  do 
the  same  thing,  and  with  like  result.  He  even 
tried  to  preach  in  German  in  the  Northern  Ger- 
man Conference,  but  the  brethren  felt  sorry  for 
him  and  felt  humiliated  themselves  before  his 
intellectual  audience. 

By  such  attempts  the  good  and  highly  edu- 
cated Bishop  belittled  both  himself  and  his  holy 
office  before  intelligent  people ; but  this  well 
illustrates  my  point — the  difficulty  of  acquiring 
proficiency  in  a foreign  language. 

Another  great  difficulty  for  us  is  in  securing 
a sufficient  number  of  well-equipped  candidates 
for  the  ministry  to  man  our  increasing  fields. 
There  are  many  causes  for  this,  of  which  I will 
only  mention  a few. 

First,  the  natural  reticence  on  the  part  of 
converted  Swedish  young  men  who  may  be 
called  to  the  ministry. 

Second,  some  who  are  called  hesitate  on  ac- 
count of  the  meager  support  we  can  give  our 
ministers,  while  other  professions  and  trades 
offer  great  gain  financially.  It  then  requires 
great  self-sacrifice,  which  all  are  not  willing  to 
make. 

Third,  some  who  are  called  and  yield  to  it, 
think  they  see  no  great  future  prospect  for  and 
in  Swedish  Methodism,  and  so  they  are  led  to 
enter  the  English-speaking  Methodist  ministry, 
where  they  see  a wider  and  more  promising  field. 

Another  difficulty  has  for  many  years  been 
and  still  is  the  lack  of  room  in  our  Seminary 
for  a sufficient  number  of  students  to  prepare 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


for  the  ministry.  This  lack  will  now  be  sup- 
plied by  our  new  Seminary  building  in  course 
of  construction  on  our  new  campus,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Lincoln  Street  and  Orington  Avenue, 
Evanston,  within  easy  walking  distance  of  the 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute  and  Northwestern 
Academy  and  College  of  Liberal  Arts.  This 
beautiful  and  substantial,  though  modest,  build- 
ing will  furnish  room  for  a largely  increased 
corps  of  students,  and  we  trust  that  both  in 
teaching  force  and  other  equipments  we  shall 
be  better  prepared  to  do  efficient  work  so  as  to 
fill  this  long-felt  want,  and  also  that  when  we 
are  prepared  to  take  care  of  and  properly  en- 
courage them,  many  of  our  bright  young  men 
shall  yield  to  God’s  call  and  say,  “Here  am  I; 
send  me ! Send  me ! ’ ’ 

Another  great  danger  that  threatens  our 
Swedish  Methodism  is  a tendency  on  the  part  of 
some  of  us,  not  always  those  who  would  be  best 
equipped  for  it,  either,  to  attempt  English 
preaching,  thus  undermining  our  own  specific 
work;  and  what  the  fathers  have  built  up  with 
prayer  and  earnest  self-sacrifice,  these  may 
easily  tear  down  and  betray.  I consider  this 
sinful,  and  it  ought  not  to  be  encouraged  by 
either  Americans  or  Swedes.  If  it  is  necessary 
for  us  to  exist  at  all,  it  is  both  wise  and  neces- 
sary to  the  best  work,  that  we  conserve  our  in- 
heritance and  build  strong  churches  and  main- 
tain them. 

But  the  greatest  danger  to  the  conservation 
of  our  Swedish  Methodism  is  when  the  English 
language  is  allowed  to  become  predominant  in 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

our  Sunday  schools — and  it  very  easily  does,  be- 
ing the  school  language  of  our  children  and 
many  of  our  young  people,  and  therefore  the 
more  excusable. 

What  can  and  ought  to  be  done  is,  that  we 
instruct  in  the  rudiments  of  our  own  language 
the  infant  classes,  and  teach  our  children  to  read, 
speak  and  sing  Swedish.  This  will  not  hurt 
them,  but  do  them  good  in  every  way.  Many  of 
the  instructors  in  our  public  and  higher  schools 
have  noted  the  fact  that  the  young  people  who 
know  one  foreign  language  are  generally  the 
most  proficient  in  English. 

But  the  question  arises,  shall  Swedish  Metho- 
dism always  continue  in  America?  And  the 
answer  is  dependent  on  possible  conditions  in  the 
future. 

If  immigration  from  Sweden  to  America  for 
one,  or  at  most  two  generations,  should  cease, 
then  we  need  not,  and  therefore  should  not,  con- 
tinue our  distinctively  Swedish  work;  but  we 
would  all  be  ready  and  glad  to  become  amal- 
gamated with  the  English-speaking  Church.  It 
would  then  be  a clear  waste  to  both  energy  and 
money  to  do  otherwise;  but,  as  long  as  immi- 
gration from  Sweden  continues,  it  is  necessary 
and  wise  to  offer  the  Gospel  in  their  mother 
tongue  to  these  incoming  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands and  win  them  for  God  and  vital  piety,  and 
garner  them  in  the  Church.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  large  responsibility  in  this 
matter,  not  to  us,  but  to  God. 

As  to  the  probabilities  of  immigration  ceasing 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


from  Sweden  to  America,  let  the  following  facts 
speak : 

In  1854,  when  your  speaker  left  old  Sweden, 
there  were  in  that  country  about  3,500,000  in- 
habitants. Since  then  approximately  one  and  a 
half  million  have  emigrated  from  Sweden  to 
America,  and  you  would  naturally  infer  in  your 
American  haste  that  Sweden  would  be  almost 
depopulated  and  could  not  spare  any  more ; but 
what  is  the  fact?  There  are  now  in  Sweden 
5,000,000  inhabitants.  No  race  suicide  there  and 
none  here  by  their  descendants. 

Further,  Sweden  is  a poor  country,  save  in 
the  quality  of  her  people,  and  America  is  rich 
in  opportunity  and  wealth.  Sweden  a small 
country,  America  is  great  in  every  way.  Under 
those  circumstances  and  so  many  of  their  rela- 
tives and  friends  already  here,  when  do  you 
think  immigration  from  Sweden  to  America  will 
cease  ? When  ? Never ! Until  America  is  full 
of  them;  and  I say,  and  I think  you  will  say, 
let  them  come.  Well  take  care  of  them  relig- 
iously and  get  them  to  help  us  take  care  of  our- 
selves and  our  country.  Brothers,  God  made  no 
mistake  on  Pentecost  when  he  endowed  his 
apostles  with  the  gift  of  tongues.  Nor  did  our 
Church  make  a mistake  when  she,  following  the 
plain  indications  of  Providence,  established  mis- 
sions in  this  country  in  the  various  languages  of 
the  immigrants  who  come  to  our  shores,  and  she 
must  do  more  and  more  of  this  work  in  order 
to  save  America;  and  we  as  Swedish-Americans 
are  willing  to  help  her  in  this  great  undertaking 
if  your  English-speaking  Americans  are  willing 


Methodism  and  the  Bepublic 

to  let  ns  do  it  in  the  best  way  and  to  the  fullest 
extent,  and  we  hope  that,  as  in  the  past,  so  in 
the  future,  God  will  help  us  to  help  you  by 
earnestly  sustaining  “Home  Missions,”  as  well 
as  in  every  other  possible  way.  We  must  not 
neglect  nor  give  less  to  Foreign  Missions,  but 
unless  we  convert  the  incoming  Americans  and 
build  strong  churches  at  home,  how  shall  we, 
when  the  present  generation  of  liberal  givers 
have  passed  away,  be  able  to  sustain  Foreign 
Missions  ? 

If  we  fully  realize  the  situation,,  the  first 
strong  and  enthusiastic  forward  movement  must 
be  towards  “Home  Missions.”  And  if  the  Mas- 
ter’s command  to  begin  at  Jerusalem  is  reit- 
erated by  the  Church,  the  Swedish-speaking 
division  of  our  militant  Church  is  getting  ready 
to  march  forward  from  victory  to  victory. 
And  if  we,  as  Swedish  preachers,  continue  to 
preach  an  unadulterated  Gospel,  clothed  with 
power  from  on  high,  work  for  the  Master  in  all 
our  fields,  North,  South,  East  and  West  and  in 
great  centers  and  always  see  to  it  that  we 
are  on  God’s  side  and  alert  to  avail  ourselves  of 
every  God-given  opportunity  to  win  our  people 
for  Christ  and  Methodism,  and,  if  the  senti- 
ment broached,  but  not  acted  upon  by  our  last 
General  Conference  could,  in  the  good  Provi- 
dence of  God  be  accomplished,  namely,  a leader 
for  and  among  each  people  of  their  own  race  and 
nation,  that  is,  an  African  Bishop  for  the  Afro- 
Americans,  a German  Bishop  for  Germany  and 
the  German  conferences  in  America,  a Norwe- 
gian Bishop  for  Norway  and  Denmark  and  the 


The  Future  of  Swedish  Methodism 


Norwegian  and  Danish  Conferences  in  America, 
and  a Swedish  Bishop  for  Sweden  and  the  Swed- 
ish work  in  America,  provided  the  Church 
among  these  can  find  the  right  kind  of  men  (and 
I believe  and  know  she  can  if  she  will)  and  if 
political  ambitions  do  not  hinder  its  accomplish- 
ment ; make  them  Missionary  Bishops  if  you 
please,  each  will  find  plenty  of  work  in  his  own 
sphere,  or,  make  them  General  Superintend- 
ents if  you  deem  that  best;  their  field  would 
still  naturally  be  among  their  own  people  by 
assignment  of  the  Board  of  Bishops  (though  in 
emergency  they  in  that  count  would  be  available 
for  any  conference  in  the  Church,  and,  of  course, 
only  men  competent  for  that  could  be  chosen). 
If  the  next  General  Conference  should  be 
fully  awake  to  this  need,  and  if  it  is  willing  to 
learn  this  lesson  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  namely,  to  choose  a leader  for  each 
nation  among  which  it  has  work  of  and  among 
their  own  men  as  soon  as  one  is  developed  who 
is  qualified  for  this  high  office,  then  our  be- 
loved Church  will  take  a great  stride  forward 
towards  the  evangelization  of  all  nations. 

On  behalf  of  all  these  races  and  nations,  but 
especially  on  behalf  of  Swedish  Methodism,  I 
plead  that  this  be  done.  Give  us  a Swedish 
Bishop — one  who  can  be  an  American  with 
Americans  and  a Swede  with  Swedes,  and  who 
in  councils  of  the  Church  can  and  will  from  in- 
side views  with  exact  knowledge  of  conditions 
and  with  holy  zeal  represent  our  cause  and 
among  our  people  exert  a five-fold  influence  for 
good  and  lead  our  hosts  in  winning  our  people 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


to  God  and  Methodism.  If  these  precautions  are 
heeded  and  these  steps  be  taken,  I have  no 
doubt  that  before  another  semi-centennial,  Swed- 
ish Methodism  in  both  America  and  Sweden 
will  be  more  than  three  times  as  strong  as  it 
is  today,  and  better  equipped  for  aggressive 
work. 

That  it  may  be  so,  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  advancement  of  His  cause,  is  my  earnest 
prayer.  Amen. 


METHODISM  AND  THE  CITIES 


CHARLES  M.  BOSWELL,  D.D. 


This  chapter  is  not  intended  to  consider  at 
length  the  number,  population  or  problems  of 
our  American  cities,  nor  to  suggest  plans,  meth- 
ods or  institutions  for  evangelizing  them.  It 
aims  to  give  an  outline  statement  of  what  is  be- 
ing done  in  our  great  commonwealths  by  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  is  hoped  that 
as  our  people  come  to  know  of  the  various  activi- 
ties now  in  operation,  under  the  direction  of 
their  Church  leaders,  they  will  come  prayerfully 
and  promptly  to  their  assistance.  This  support 
should  result  in  a largely  increased  force  of 
laborers,  more  liberal  contributions  of  money, 
the  establishment  of  religious  movements  that 
shall  command  greater  respect. 

In  all  efforts  proposed  for  the  evangelization 
of  America  the  city  must  be  given  an  important 
place ; for,  since  it  is  becoming  an  acknowledged 
fact  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  cover  the  most 
valuable  missionary  field  in  the  world,  it  must 
be  conceded  that  our  great  municipalities  are 
the  battle  grounds  upon  which  the  campaign  is 
largely  to  be  fought  and  the  ultimate  victory 
gained. 

Lyman  Abbott  has  well  said,  “On  the  one 
hand  the  city  stands  for  all  that  is  evil;  a city 
that  is  full  of  devils,  foul  and  corrupting;  and 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


on  the  other  hand  the  city  stands  for  all  that  is 
noble,  full  of  the  glory  of  God  and  shining  with 
a clear  and  brilliant  light.  But  if  we  think  a 
little  more  carefully  we  shall  see  that  the  city 
has  in  ail  parts  of  the  world  represented  both 
these  aspects.  It  has  been  the  worst  and  it  has 
been  the  best.  Every  city  has  been  a Babylon 
and  every  city  has  been  a New  Jerusalem,  and  it 
has  always  been  a question  whether  the  Babylon 
would  extirpate  the  New  Jerusalem,  or  the  New 
Jerusalem  would  extirpate  the  Babylon.  It  has 
been  so  in  the  past  and  it  is  so  in  the  present. 
The  greatest  corruption,  the  greatest  vice,  the 
greatest  crime  are  to  be  found  in  a great  city. 
The  greatest  philanthropy,  the  greatest  purity, 
the  most  aggressive  noble  courage  are  to  be 
found  in  the  great  city.  San  Francisco,  St. 
Louis,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Philadelphia,  New 
York,  Boston  and  Brooklyn  are  full  of  devils, 
and  also  full  of  the  glory  of  God.”  In  them 
are  the  men  and  women  who  are  to  constitute 
a band  of  disciples  sufficient  for  getting  the  Gos- 
pel to  all  people;  the  wealth  that  is  necessary 
to  furnish  the  resources  for  support;  the  news- 
papers that  can  reach  multitudes  and  influence 
them  for  Christianity;  the  educational  institu- 
tions that  can  be  used  to  help  our  young  to  relig- 
ious doings;  the  places  of  entertainment  that 
may  be  utilized  to  uphold  standards  of  morality, 
and  the  great  population  composed  of  those  who 
by  their  toil,  words  and  votes  are  to  largely  deter- 
mine the  future  character  of  the  Nation.  With 
this  all  allied  under  the  Home  Missionary  ban- 
ner, the  Republic  may  soon  belong  to  our  God 


Methodism  and  the  Cities 


and  His  Son,  and  from  it  will  go  a large  com- 
pany to  all  other  lands  whose  purpose  shall  be 
to  conquer  the  world  for  Christ. 

The  Awakening 

It  was  a comparatively  few  years  ago  when 
Methodism  awoke  to  the  religious  conditions, 
needs  and  opportunities  connected  with  Ameri- 
can cities,  and  began  to  give  serious  heed  to  the 
Christianizing  of  the  heathen  at  home.  It  did 
not  observe  the  advance  of  Romanism,  foreign- 
ism,  worldliness  and  wickedness  until  many 
Christian  churches  were  depleted,  congregations 
weakened,  customs  changed  and  institutions  en- 
dangered. But  once  aroused  it  has  become  en- 
thusiastic in  spirit,  aggressive  in  effort  and 
strong  in  its  call  for  city  evangelization. 

In  1891  Horace  Benton,  an  active  and  hon- 
ored member  of  Cleveland  Methodism,  called 
together  a number  of  laymen  from  other  places 
for  the  purpose  of  inaugurating  a forward  move- 
ment in  our  denomination  for  the  Christianizing 
of  the  rapidly  growing  large  American  cities. 
As  a result  of  their  prayers,  consultations,  con- 
tributions and  aggressiveness  a City  Evangeli- 
zation Union  was  organized  at  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
in  1892,  and  representatives  of  it  went  from  city 
to  city  urging  Bishops,  Presiding  Elders,  Pas- 
tors, Laymen  and  Editors  to  unite  with  them  in 
organizing  societies  in  their  several  cities,  to  co- 
operate in  the  work  they  had  undertaken.  A 
prompt  response  was  the  result,  and  very  soon 
Allegheny,  Baltimore,  Boston,  Brooklyn,  Buffalo, 
Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Jersey 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

City,  Kansas  City,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Pittsburg,  Providence,  Rochester,  San  Fran- 
cisco and  others  were  united  in  city  campaigns 
for  Christ,  humanity  and  Methodism,  and  some 
of  them  were  led  by  preachers  whose  entire  time 
was  given  to  their  respective  unions.  Every 
year  a convention  was  held,  and  to  it  came  work- 
ers who  reported  the  fields  as  studied  by  them, 
giving  accounts  of  new  methods,  stating  results 
and  making  suggestions  for  larger  undertakings. 

The  success  of  the  movement  made  it  neces- 
sary to  so  increase  the  income  that  more  labor- 
ers might  be  placed  in  the  field  and  provision 
made  for  taking  care  of  the  harvests  gathered. 
This  led  to  an  appeal  to  the  General  Missionary 
Committee  for  assistance,  and  that  body  in 
1904  appropriated  directly  to  thirty-eight  cit- 
ies, none  having  a population  of  less  than 
40,000,  the  sum  of  $45,000 ; in  1905  to  fifty  cities 
$50,000  and  in  1906  to  fifty-six  cities  $55,000. 
This,  added  to  the  amount  secured  from  local 
sources,  the  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society 
and  the  Epworth  League,  also  from  other  young 
people’s  organizations,  would  make  a total  ex- 
penditure for  religious  and  humanitarian  w^ork 
in  American  cities  of  about  $300,000.  The  fol- 
lowing cities  are  on  the  list  of  those  among 
whom  this  money  was  distributed  in  1907 : 
Akron,  Allegheny,  Baltimore,  Boston,  Buffalo, 
Butte,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Dallas, 
Denver,  Des  Moines,  Detroit,  Duluth,  Elizabeth, 
Fall  River,  Honolulu,  Jersey  City,  Kansas  City, 
Lincoln,  Los  Angeles,  Lowell,  Minneapolis,  New 
Haven,  New  York,  Newark,  Oakland,  Omaha, 


Methodism  and  the  Cities 


Paterson,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  Portland, 
Providence,  Richmond,  Rochester,  St.  Louis,  St. 
Paul,  San  Francisco,  Scranton,  Seattle,  Sioux 
City,  Spokane,  Syracuse,  Tacoma,  Washington, 
Wilkes-Barre  and  Youngstown. 

Since  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church 
Extension,  by  the  authority  of  the  General  Con- 
ference Commission  on  the  Consolidation  of 
Benevolences,  is  to  do  all  work  hitherto  done  by 
the  Missionary  Society  in  the  United  States  of 
America  and  its  insular  possessions,  all  appro- 
priations for  American  city  work  must  now  be 
made  by  the  General  Committee  of  that  organi- 
zation. 

The  Board  of  Church  Extension  was  also  re- 
quested to  lend  a helping  hand  to  those  doing 
city  church  extension  work,  and  that  body 
promptly  pledged  its  co-operation,  and  has  since 
given  timely  help  to  church  building.  Thus  we 
have  a picture  of  an  organization  with  its  watch- 
word, ‘ ‘ America  for  Christ,  ’ ’ in  centers  of  popu- 
lation, gathering  under  its  banner  the  officials 
and  local  workers  in  City  Evangelization  So- 
cieties, Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Societies, 
Epworth  Leagues  and  other  young  people’s 
organizations  and  Sunday  schools,  giving  its 
blessing,  extending  financial  aid  and  asking  for 
combined  earnestness  in  winning  the  city  for 
Christ. 

The  Work 

As  we  go  from  city  to  city  and  observe  the 
religious  activities  in  operation  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  we  con- 
clude that  something  is  being  done  wisely  and 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

efficiently  to  win  these  strategic  centers  for 
Christ.  Our  judgment  has  been  formed  from  a 
study  of  the  followings  lines  of  work : 

1.  Providing  Churches. — In  all  efforts  to 
Christianize  a city,  church  buildings  are  required. 
They  are  the  sheltering,  training  and  strength- 
imparting  places  for  the  followers  of  our  Lord, 
and  in  them  the  people  gather,  become  identified 
with  Christianity,  learn  the  things  a Christian 
ought  to  know  and  are  equipped  for  the  contest 
against  sin,  unbelief,  religious  indifference, 
worldliness,  sorrow  and  death. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  while  much 
money  is  being  spent  for  libraries  and  places  of 
amusement,  and  millions  for  saloons,  that  a 
great  deal  is  being  used  to  provide  people  with 
houses  of  worship.  Under  the  Church  Ex- 
tension plan  new  neighborhoods  that  have 
been  built  up  by  enterprising  financiers,  and 
made  convenient  to  home  seekers  by  electric  con- 
veyances, are  visited,  and  where  the  conditions 
are  promising  a piece  of  ground  is  purchased, 
and  by  securng  a favorable  site  beginnings  are 
made  for  church  building. 

In  one  city  a denominational  leader  went  into 
one  such  place  as  described  and  rented  a room 
in  which  on  the  following  Sabbath  a Bible 
school  was  organized  with  two  scholars,  and  a 
religious  service  begun  in  the  evening.  In  a little 
while  thereafter,  by  the  aid  of  the  Board  of 
Church  Extension,  a piece  of  ground  was  se- 
cured and  on  it  a substantial  house  of  worship 
erected.  At  that  place  we  now  have  property 


Methodism  and  the  Cities 

valued  at  over  $50,000,  a church  membership  of 
400  and  a Sabbath  school  of  600. 

In  other  instances  churches  are  found  to  be 
so  heavily  burdened  with  debt  that  while  they 
are  located  in  sections  where  regular  church 
work  is  greatly  needed,  their  energetic  pastors 
and  people  are  exhausted  in  getting  funds  with 
which  to  meet  payments  of  interest  on  the  in- 
debtedness. To  many  of  these  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension  comes 
and  by  an  inspirational  gift  encourages  and  en- 
thuses the  congregation  to  pay  off  the  mortgage, 
after  which  they  have  freedom  from  financial 
embarrassment.  We  know  of  such  a church  in 
a large  city  that  for  years  was  religiously  in- 
capacitated by  a large  debt  until  a donation  was 
promised  conditionally  by  the  Board  of  Church 
Extension.  The  pastor  and  official  board  ac- 
cepted the  condition  and  went  to  work.  In 
three  years  the  amount  of  money  required,  which 
seemed  impossible  to  get  in  any  other  way,  was 
in  hand  and  the  debt  paid.  Immediately  the 
altars  were  crowded  with  penitents,  the  mem- 
bership was  largely  increased  and  congregations 
filled  the  house. 

In  still  another  instance  there  is  a locality 
where  there  is  no  house  of  worship.  The  trol- 
leys are  there  and  so  are  factories,  stores,  dwell- 
ings and  a schoolhouse.  People  are  rapidly 
moving  into  it.  The  saloonist  is  getting  ready 
to  go  there  to  begin  the  business  of  drunkard 
making.  The  church  planter  has  become 
aroused.  He  goes  into  that  neighborhood,  an- 
nounces the  opening  of  a Sunday  school,  class 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

meeting,  prayer  meeting  and  preaching  service. 
The  children  gather,  church  members  come,  the 
people  attend,  men  and  women  are  converted 
and  a society  is  organized.  The  Sunday-school 
lessons  are  taught,  hymns  are  sung,  testimonies 
given,  a sermon  preached.  A frame  chapel  takes 
the  place  of  the  dwelling  house,  and  the  church 
prospers. 

Then  the  Board  of  Church  Extension,  in  an- 
swer to  an  appeal,  makes  a donation  of  an 
amount  varying  from  $250  to  $1,000,  and  a 
church  is  planted  that  holds  that  section  for 
Christ  and  Methodism. 

In  a large  city  in  New  York  State  we  recently 
aided  in  dedicating  a $54,000  property  that 
grew  in  this  way  from  a $500  donation  from  the 
Board  of  Church  Extension. 

In  all  sections  of  the  country  large  sums  of 
money  are  being  spent  in  this  way,  and  much 
more  needs  to  be  done  and  can  be  done  when  our 
people  become  conscious  of  the  opportunity  at 
their  doors. 

Evangelism 

In  addition  to  the  regular  church  work  con- 
ducted under  the  direction  of  the  pastors  many 
evangelistic  movements  are  inaugurated  and  ag- 
gressively pushed  by  Methodism  in  our  cities. 
They  are  observed  by  us  under  the  following 
forms : 

1.  House-to-House  Evangelism.  — There  are 
many  homes  out  of  which  the  inmates  do  not 
come  to  places  of  worship,  and  to  these  go  dea- 
conesses in  the  employ  of  the  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society  and  kindred  organizations. 


Methodism  and  the  Cities 


They  take  a message  of  salvation  to  the  poor, 
sick,  maimed  and  unfortunate  in  alley  tene- 
ments, in  boulevard  mansions,  in  hospitals  and 
prisons  and  in  any  other  place  where  abides  a 
saddened  heart  that  needs  a Christ-given  word. 
We  are  hoping  to  have  such  evangelists  so  nu- 
merous that  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  make 
known  the  cause  and  the  worker  will  be  there. 

2.  Street  Evangelism . — There  are  seasons  of 
the  year  when  the  streets  are  crowded  with  per- 
sons who  for  one  reason  or  another  do  not  at- 
tend religious  services,  and  it  is  well  to  know 
that  while  many  of  our  people  are  at  the  sea- 
shore or  mountains  and  out  in  the  country,  and 
while  others  are  worshipping  together  in  beauti- 
ful buildings,  yet  the  highway  folk  are  getting 
the  Gospel.  For  them,  largely  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Epworth  Leagues  and  other  young  peo- 
ple ’s  societies,  passer-by  meetings  are  held  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening.  In  some  places  a speaker 
accompanied  by  singers  will  stand  on  a church 
step  to  which  the  people  are  attracted  and  where 
they  hear  about  righteousness  and  its  blessings, 
sin  and  its  cursings.  In  other  places  a public 
street  corner  is  utilized  for  halting  the  people 
long  enough  to  give  them  a religious  lesson  in 
song,  testimony  and  exhortation;  and  in  a few 
cities  a wagon  containing  speakers,  singers  and 
musical  instruments  is  driven  to  a crowded  thor- 
oughfare where  the  music  draws  a congregation ; 
the  appeal  leads  some  to  raise  their  hand  for 
prayer,  and  the  timely  hand-shaking  draws  many 
persons  to  Jesus.  Such  evangelism  will  be  more 
and  more  carried  on  when  the  Board  of  Home 
Si  g.  17 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

Missions  and  Church  Extension  shall  have  more 
missionaries  and  money  to  do  the  work  that 
brought  so  many  victories  to  early  Methodism 
and  carried  joy  to  so  many  hearts  and  homes, 
and  is  so  effective  now. 

3.  Tent  Meetings. — In  a city  population  there 
are  those  who  will  not  enter  ecclesiastical  struc- 
tures; some  not  at  any  time  and  others  at  cer- 
tain periods  of  the  year,  and  for  these  Metho- 
dism can  be  found  industriously  at  work,  using 
a tent  as  a gathering  place,  and  this  in  addition 
to  co-operation  in  Union  Tent  Meetings.  In 
some  places  a canvas  is  spread  on  a vacant  lot 
in  a non-church-going  neighborhood  where  the 
residents  are  invited  for  a religious  hour,  and 
frequently  women  and  men  representing  the 
hard  toilers  of  the  community,  with  their  chil- 
dren, are  seen  gladly  entering  and  listening  to 
the  sweet  songs  and  earnest  exhortations  of  the 
workers. 

In  one  city  we  saw  a sufficient  number  of 
adults  and  youth  converted  and  brought  into 
the  Church  membership  during  one  summer  as 
to  justify  a denominational  organization  that  is 
now  housed  in  a substantial  church  edifice.  In 
other  places  the  tent  has  been  pitched  on  a lawn 
in  a church-going  neighborhood,  and  a Methodist 
preacher  ministers  to  hundreds  who  would  not 
otherwise  have  been  brought  under  the  influence 
of  Christianity. 

In  recent  years  this  form  of  evangelism  has 
been  used  by  our  Church  to  get  the  Gospel  to 
great  crowds  that  by  trolley  or  on  foot  go  to  the 
large  parks  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  we  know 


Methodism  and  the  Cities 


of  one  place  where  this  has  resulted  in  great 
good,  and  at  a comparatively  small  cost,  since  the 
financial  expenditure  is  limited  to  newspaper 
advertising;  all  the  workers  being  volunteers. 
The  preacher  in  charge  of  a nearby  church  and 
his  young  people’s  organization  secured  the  per- 
mission of  the  authorities  for  the  music  pavilion, 
in  front  of  which  are  accommodations  to  seat 
3,000.  Here,  on  Sunday  afternoons  during  July 
and  August  at  four  o’clock,  an  hour  that  would 
not  give  church  members  an  excuse  for  remaining 
away  from  their  regular  place  of  worship,  in- 
teresting and  instructive  religious  services  are 
held.  The  minister  is  assisted  by  Bishops,  secre- 
taries, editors,  Presiding  Elders,  pastors  and 
laymen  and  a strong  choir.  Thousands  gladly 
come  to  this  gathering,  and  a number  of  sinners 
have  been  converted,  .while  backsliders  were  re- 
claimed and  Christians  enthused.  During  1907 
this  movement  was  more  successful  than  ever. 
We  commend  this  to  other  cities  as  being  worthy 
of  imitation. 

Missionary  Work.— -About  1,300,000  persons 
from  foreign  lands  came  into  the  United  States 
during  1906  and  made  America  their  home, 
thus  increasing  the  already  very  large  foreign 
population  on  American  soil.  They  seem  to  be 
especially  attracted  to  our  cities,  since  the  pro- 
portion of  foreign-born  inhabitants  is  more  than 
twice  as  great  in  them  as  in  the  whole  country. 
In  New  York,  out  of  every  100  persons  80  are 
foreign  born  or  children  of  foreign  parents;  in 
Philadelphia,  51 ; Brooklyn,  67 ; Chicago,  87 ; 
Boston,  63;  St.  Louis,  78;  Cincinnati,  60;  San 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

Francisco,  78;  Cleveland,  80;  Buffalo,  71;  Pitts- 
burg, 61;  Newark,  63;  Detroit,  84;  Milwaukee, 
84;  New  Orleans,  57;  Jersey  City,  70;  Louis- 
ville, 53;  Providence,  52;  and  Baltimore,  35. 

Thus  well  has  one  said,  “To  live  in  one  of 
these  foreign  communities  is  actually  to  live  on 
foreign  soil.  The  thoughts,  feelings  and  tradi- 
tions which  belong  to  the  mental  life  of  the 
colony  are  often  entirely  alien  to  an  American, 
and  the  newspapers,  the  literature,  the  ideas,  the 
passions,  the  things  which  agitate  the  commu- 
nity are  unknown  to  us  except  in  fragments.” 
By  this  the  land  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  be- 
comes one  of  the  world ’s  great  missionary  fields, 
and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  is  realizing 
this  and  seeking  to  Christianize  it : 

1.  By  humanitarian  institutions,  in  which  are 
the  kindergarten,  where  the  children  of  the 
strangers  within  our  gates  are  trained  in  things 
that  acquaint  them  with  Christian  sympathy, 
and  in  which  by  kindly  hands  and  sweetened 
tongues  the  little  ones  from  the  sweat-shop  are 
greeted  by  representatives  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ; cooking  schools,  in  which  they  are  taught 
to  prepare  a meal  without  getting  it  from  the 
refuse  barrel;  soap  and  water  hours,  in  which 
they  are  shown  the  advantages  of  cleanliness  of 
person  and  garments,  and  taught  how  to  cleanse 
the  body,  laundry  clothing  and  iron  garments; 
sewing  schools,  where  the  value  of  needles  and 
thread  is  taught ; reading  schools,  where  the  love 
for  good  books  and  interest  in  current  events 
are  stimulated;  manual  training  sessions,  where 
boys’  hands  are  schooled  in  the  primary  work 


Methodism  and  the  Cities 


of  what  may  mean  a trade  and  a good  income 
in  the  days  further  on;  mothers’  conferences, 
where  women  are  urged  to  follow  the  example  of 
Priscilla  in  housekeeping  and  in  the  training  of 
children;  also  entertainment  nights,  where  the 
best  music  and  lectures  that  may  be  obtained 
are  furnished  free  of  charge  or  for  a nominal 
price  of  admission. 

2.  Patriotic  Gatherings . — In  these  our  friends 
from  across  the  sea  are  instructed  in  American 
history,  American  characters,  American  customs 
and  American  songs.  We  have  seen  in  one  city 
over  800  Italians  in  a gathering  where  they  sang 
with  much  enthusiasm,  “My  Country,  ’Tis  of 
Thee,”  and  in  another  250  Chinese,  150  Jap- 
anese and  75  Koreans  with  a number  of  Ameri- 
cans, together  lustily  singing  that  same  National 
song. 

3.  Religious  Services.-— These  are  composed  of 
Bible  schools,  young  people’s  meetings,  Chris- 
tian conferences,  prayer  meetings  and  preaching 
services.  In  these  the  inhabitants  of  Austria, 
Bohemia,  China,  Hungary,  Japan,  Italy,  Poland, 
Russia  and  other  foreign  quarters  are  instructed 
in  the  Scriptures,  drilled  in  religious  work,  en- 
couraged concerning  temptations,  trials  and  du- 
ties, and  taught  privileges,  obligations  and  pos- 
sibilities of  the  Christian  life.  For  them  build- 
ings are  rented,  halls  leased  and  churches 
erected.  To  help  them  missionaries,  teachers, 
musicians  and  house  visitors  are  employed.  To 
do  this  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church 
Extension  made  appropriations  for  1907  as 
follows : 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


Welsh  $684 

Swedish  35,020 

Norwegian  and  Danish  23,090 

German  42,090 

French  4,295 

Spanish  42,805 

Chinese  14,835 

Japanese  19,145 

Bohemian  and  Hungarian  13,550 

Italian  13,570 

Portuguese  . . 2,065 

Finnish  4,615 

Foreign  populations  2,786 

American  Indians  9,825 

English-speaking  323,133 

Special  city  appropriations 47,460 


Total  $598,968 

A large  proportion  of  this  was  spent  in  Ameri- 
can cities.  We  are  not  doing  all  that  we  should, 
but  the  above  shows  that  we  are  at  least  laying 
foundations,  inaugurating  movements  and  estab- 
lishing methods  which  when  understood  by  our 
membership-at-large  we  are  sure  will  produce  a 
co-operation  that  will  enable  us  to  meet  the  de- 
mands with  an  enlarged  and  more  efficient 
equipment. 


THE  WOMAN’S  HOME  MISSION- 
ARY SOCIETY 


MARTHA  VAN  MARTER,  EDITOR  ‘ ‘ WOMAN ’S  HOME 

MISSIONS” 


The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  July,  1880,  and  entered 
at  once  upon  its  truly  Christian  work  of  uplift- 
ing and  Christianizing  the  homes  of  our  land. 

After  twenty-seven  years  of  vigorous  life,  it 
can  point  today  to  a membership  of  about 

110.000  adults  and  young  women,  while  nearly 

30.000  children  are  enrolled  under  its  banner. 
During  this  time  it  has  accumulated  over 
$1,000,000  worth  of  property,  consisting  prin- 
cipally of  Industrial  Homes  and  Schools,  Train- 
ing Schools  for  Missionaries  and  Deaconesses, 
Children’s  Homes,  Immigrant  Girls’  Homes  and 
Deaconesses’  Homes.  What  its  heavenly  assets 
may  be,  no  human  reckoning  can  compute. 

The  leaders  of  the  new  organization  had  their 
attention  first  directed  to  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  young  colored  women  in  the  South, 
who,  although  endowed  with  freedom  as  the  re- 
sult of  the  Civil  War,  were  yet  apparently  fast 
bound  in  the  chains  of  ignorance,  poverty  and 
degradation.  The  first  effort  of  the  young  Soci- 
ety was  to  put  levers  under  these  helpless  lives, 
by  means  of  which  they  might  be  lifted  out  of 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

their  low  conditions.  Model  homes  were  estab- 
lished at  various  points,  in  which  not  only  a 
good  every-day  working  education  might  be  ac- 
quired, but  a knowledge  of  the  home-making 
industries  as  well,  which  are  so  essential  to  the 
development  of  Christian  home  life. 

No  sooner  had  the  word  gone  forth  that  a 
Home  Missionary  Society  had  been  organized  in 
our  denomination,  than  calls  for  help  began  to 
pour  in  from  all  parts  of  our  land.  Any  linger- 
ing questions  in  the  minds  of  the  founders  of 
the  Society  as  to  the  need  for  such  work  were 
speedily  dissipated  by  these  urgent  representa- 
tions from  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  Christian 
educators  and  others,  as  to  the  desperate  need 
in  their  localities.  Utah,  the  home  of  Mormon- 
ism,  even  then  becoming  a menace,  was  laid 
upon  the  conscience  of  the  Society.  The  Indian 
woman  in  her  smoky  tepee  won  womanly  pity 
and  consideration,  and  the  Spanish-speaking 
people  of  our  great  Southwest  made  pitiful  ap- 
peal for  the  gospel  of  truth  and  purity.  Alaska, 
ice-bound  and  pagan,  and  not  yet  entered  by  the 
gospel  of  Methodism,  won  an  early  hearing,  and 
the  immigrants  at  our  great  national  ports  of 
entry  appealed  not  in  vain  to  the  young  Society 
(none  too  warmly  welcomed)  and  yet  assured 
that  it  was  following  the  voice  of  God  in  listen- 
ing to  these  pathetic  pleas. 

The  Society’s  declared  aim  to  co-operate  with 
other  societies  and  agencies  of  the  Church  in 
educational  and  missionary  work,  led  at  an  early 
day  to  the  forwarding  of  the  difficult  work  of 
the  Church  on  the  great  frontiers,  through  the 


The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society 

medium  of  missionary  supplies.  A systematic 
plan  was  developed  by  means  of  which  the  needs 
of  the  preachers  in  the  destitute  districts  could 
be  ascertained  through  the  Presiding  Elders 
and  met,  at  least  in  part.  The  work  of  this 
Bureau  extends  also  to  the  mission  homes  and 
schools,  making  it  possible  for  many  children 
and  young  women  to  remain  in  these  schools 
by  having  their  clothing  provided. 

A succession  of  noble  women  have  carried  for- 
ward this  work  of  sisterly  love  for  the  last  quar- 
ter of  a century.  Mrs.  J.  L.  Whetstone,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Society, 
was  the  first  secretary  of  the  Bureau  of  Supplies. 
She  developed  it  into  a great  work,  but  was 
obliged  to  be  relieved  of  it  to  carry  on  her  work 
in  other  directions.  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Lodge,  of 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  became  her  efficient  suc- 
cessor, and  after  five  years  resigned,  owing  to 
her  health.  In  1892  Mrs.  James  Dale,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  a woman  of  great  heart,  took  this 
Bureau  upon  her  hands  and  lavished  upon  it 
the  devotion  of  her  remaining  life.  She  visited 
the  mission  conferences  many  times,  and  as  the 
grateful  preachers  gathered  about  her  and 
poured  out  their  thanks,  she  felt  that  she  stood 
in  the  midst  of  her  own  family,  and  rejoiced  in 
the  opportunity  given  her.  When,  after  nine 
years  of  loyal  service,  she  “fell  on  sleep,”  Mrs. 
H.  C.  Jennings,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  was  ap- 
pointed as  her  successor,  and  still  remains  the 
faithful,  diligent  and  sympathetic  worker  in 
this  most  interesting  field.  Sixty-five  confer- 
ences were  last  year  upon  the  roll  of  the  Bureau 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 


for  mission  supplies ; and  the  number  of  families 
assisted  is  conservatively  estimated  at  1,000. 
The  number  of  second-hand  garments  sent  out 
during  the  year  exceeded  70,000  at  the  last  re- 
port, and  the  amount  in  cash  value  expended 
upon  boxes  and  barrels  was  in  excess  of  $60,000. 
During  that  year  twenty-five  new  fur  coats 
were  added  to  the  large  number  already  owned 
by  The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society, 
which  are  loaned  from  year  to  year  to  the  min- 
isters in  the  cold  Northwest.  The  oft-repeated 
benediction,  “God  bless  The  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society,”  pronounced  by  thousands 
of  Methodist  preachers  and  their  heroic  wives,  is 
a sufficient  return  for  all  the  love  and  labor  and 
sacrifice  lavished  upon  this  department  of  the 
work. 

The  first  missionaries  sent  to  labor  among  the 
colored  women  and  children  of  the  South  began 
by  house-to-house  visitation.  This  was  soon  fol- 
lowed up  by  small  day  schools.  Sewing  and 
cooking  classes  were  also  formed  wherever  prac- 
ticable, and  religious  instruction  was  always 
faithfully  given.  The  mission  teachers  co-oper- 
ated with  the  pastors  of  the  small  mission 
churches  in  every  possible  way;  and  within  two 
years  the  idea  of  the  Model  Industrial  Home  was 
evolved.  The  first  such  Home  was  opened  at 
South  Atlanta,  Ga.,  in  the  fall  of  1883.  It  now 
bears  the  name  of  Dr.  E.  O.  Thayer,  who  first 
agitated  the  establishment  of  Homes  of  this 
character,  and  who,  on  becoming  president  of 
Clarke  University,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  presented  his 
thought  with  such  success  that  it  was  adopted 


The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society 


by  The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society. 
Miss  Flora  Mitchell,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  superintendent  of  “ Thayer 
Home,”  where  she  still  remains.  A cultured, 
Christian  woman,  of  many  gifts  and  graces,  Miss 
Mitchell  labored  many  years  in  an  isolation 
scarcely  to  be  conceived  of,  giving  herself 
wholly  to  the  constantly  advancing  work  with  a 
real  love  and  devotion.  She  has  her  reward  in 
the  hundreds  of  educated  Christian  women  of 
the  colored  race  who  delight  to  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed.  Many  of  them  have  become  teachers 
among  their  own  people,  wives  of  ministers,  law- 
yers and  doctors;  while  nearly  all  are  real  fac- 
tors in  the  uplift  of  their  race. 

Other  Homes  founded  upon  this  general  plan 
were  established,  in  many  instances  on  the 
grounds  of  the  Freedman’s  Aid  Society.  The 
girls  board  in  the  Industrial  Home,  receive 
academic  training  in  the  Freedman ’s  Aid  School, 
while  in  return  the  young  women  of  the  Freed- 
man ’s  Aid  School  receive  industrial  training 
in  the  Home.  So  greatly  has  this  work  in  the 
South  been  blessed  and  prospered  that  the  So- 
ciety now  has  twenty-four  Homes  and  schools 
in  the  South,  including  five  for  the  Mountain 
Whites;  and  it  is  estimated  that  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  thousand  young  women  have,  during 
these  years,  passed  through  the  classes  in  these 
Homes,  nearly  all  of  whom  have  gone  out  to  a 
higher  grade  of  work  in  the  world  than  would 
have  been  possible  otherwise.  It  may  be  added 
that  so  vital  has  been  the  spiritual  life  in  the 
Homes,  that  very  few  young  women  who  have 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

spent  any  length  of  time  under  these  influences 
have  remained  unconverted. 

The  training  given  in  the  Industrial  Homes 
has  grown  steadily  in  value  and  efficiency. 
Scientific  instruction  is  given  in  the  cooking 
schools  and  in  the  sewing  schools,  while  the  most 
thorough  and  careful  supervision  is  exercised 
over  the  minor  details  of  home  making.  Care  of 
the  sick  is  systematically  taught  in  many  of  the 
Homes;  a good  working  knowledge  of  music  is 
given  to  young  women  who  develop  ability  in 
this  direction;  the  culture  of  flowers  is  encour- 
aged, and  in  every  way  the  young  women  are 
trained  to  become  elevating  and  refining  influ- 
ences in  their  own  communities.  At  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  there  are  al- 
ways displayed  exhibits  of  work  done  by  these 
young  women  of  the  Homes,  which  would  do 
credit  to  those  trained  in  our  best  schools  in 
millinery,  dressmaking,  embroidery,  etc. 

A single  instance  of  the  value  of  such  training 
may  be  given.  A young  girl  of  seventeen,  one 
of  a family  of  five  sisters,  and  children  of  a 
degraded  mother  who  had  saved  her  young 
daughters  from  a knowledge  of  her  degradation, 
was  received  into  one  of  the  Homes  of  the  So- 
ciety. She  was  soon  converted,  and  a strong  de- 
sire awoke  in  her  mind  that  the  sister  next  in 
age  should  receive  like  advantages.  This  was 
also  made  possible  through  the  beneficiary,  or 
scholarship  system,  by  which  individuals  or 
auxiliaries  of  the  Society  undertake  the  care  of 
girls  in  the  Home  who  are  not  able  to  pay  their 
own  way.  Both  of  these  sisters  showed  unusual 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 


aptitude  with  the  needle.  Both  became  experi- 
enced dressmakers  and  earnest  Christians;  and 
returning  to  their  poor  cabin,  the  only  home 
they  had  known,  speedily  effected  a change.  A 
house  was  secured  in  a nearby  village  to 
which  the  mother  and  younger  sisters  were 
taken,  and  a small  dressmaking  establishment 
opened.  The  younger  girls  were  placed  in  school, 
and  following  the  example  of  the  older  sisters, 
the  mother  and  children  attended  church  and 
Sunday  school,  one  by  one  in  turn  yielding  to 
the  refining  influences  of  a clean,  pure  life. 
Thus  a family  has  been  saved,  and  who  can  see 
where  the  fruitage  from  good  seed  sown  with 
the  small  expenditure  of  about  $50  per  annum 
for  the  care  of  the  first  of  these  sisters  who  en- 
tered the  school,  will  yet  end?  A great  blessing 
has  attended  the  work  of  these  Home  schools, 
and  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  their  behalf.  As 
a rule  the  teachers  become  enthusiastic,  and 
labor  con  amove  for  the  affectionate,  warm- 
hearted, capable  young  girls  so  seriously  handi- 
capped at  the  outset  of  their  lives  through  no 
fault  of  their  own,  and  with  the  best  of  results. 

An  ardent  friend  and  promoter  of  The 
Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  was  the 
sainted  Bishop  Wiley.  As  the  supervising 
Bishop  of  Utah  in  1881,  he  urged  the  young  So- 
ciety to  open  work  in  behalf  of  Mormon  women 
and  children.  The  Bureau  for  Mormons  was 
accordingly  formed  with  Mrs.  Angie  F.  Newman 
as  secretary.  Mrs.  Newman,  who  had  already 
given  years  of  effort  for  the  overthrow  of 
Mormonism,  took  up  the  work  with  enthusiasm, 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

and  during  the  years  of  her  service  was  the 
means  of  awakening  profound  interest  by  her 
eloquent  and  convincing  appeals  in  behalf  of 
the  degraded  womanhood  of  Utah.  She  served 
as  Bureau  secretary  from  the  beginning  until 
1885,  when  the  detail  of  the  work  of  the  Bureau 
passed  into  the  capable  hands  of  Mrs.  S.  W. 
Thompson,  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  who  in  turn  was 
succeeded  by  Mrs.  R.  W.  P.  Goff,  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  who  for  several  years  gave  splendid 
consecrated  service  to  this  department,  and  then 
“she  was  not,  for  God  took  her.”  In  1894  Mrs. 
B.  S.  Potter,  of  Illinois,  brought  to  this  difficult 
and  delicate  work  her  fine  gifts  of  organization 
and  public  speaking,  and  to  which  she  has  since 
given  her  wisest  and  best  thought  in  addition  to 
large  personal  supervision  of  her  field. 

The  first  building  enterprise  undertaken  by 
The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  was  the 
erection  of  a Home  in  Salt  Lake  City,  which  was 
completed  in  1883.  This  was  designed  to  serve 
as  a boarding  department  for  Salt  Lake  Semi- 
nary. After  a few  years  it  became  a Deaconesses  ’ 
Home,  and  so  continued  until  within  the  last 
two  years  the  growth  of  the  work  necessitated 
a change  to  a larger  and  more  commodious 
building. 

The  Society  now  has  fifteen  workers  at  nine  or 
ten  points  in  Utah.  The  work  of  the  Davis  Dea- 
conesses’ Home  in  Salt  Lake  City  is  one  of  much 
interest  and  importance;  and  here,  as  at  other 
places,  missionaries  and  deaconesses  conduct 
schools,  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  church  and 
Sunday  school,  visiting  from  house  to  house  when- 


The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society 


ever  possible,  and  in  every  way  seeking  the  up- 
building of  the  community  through  the  children. 
Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  the  faith  and  conse- 
cration of  the  noble  women  who  go  out  to  labor  in 
the  Mormon  villages,  where,  surrounded  by  peo- 
ple of  a strange  faith,  they  receive  no  sympathy 
and  but  slight  co-operation,  though  in  many  in- 
stances the  parents  are  glad  to  have  the  children 
enjoy  school  advantages  under  well-trained 
teachers,  trusting  that  the  minds  of  the  children 
may  not  be  diverted  from  Mormon  teachings. 
In  the  larger  towns,  and  especially  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  there  are  resident  Gentiles,  and  thus  not 
all  are  wholly  isolated  from  congenial  compan- 
ionship. The  General  Missionary  Superintend- 
ent of  the  missions  of  the  Church  in  Utah,  speaks 
in  the  highest  terms  of  the  devotion  and  helpful- 
ness of  these  noble  women  who  are  seeking  to 
plant  the  Cross  of  Christ  in  hard  and  unpromis- 
ing soil,  while  hopefully  trusting  God  to  give  the 
increase. 

In  the  vast  empire  of  the  West,  mission  work 
is  being  steadily  carried  forward  in  behalf  of 
Indian  women  and  children  at  seven  points.  In 
Oklahoma,  Kansas,  Washington  and  California 
the  devoted  missionaries  of  this  Society  labor 
among  these  untaught  children  of  the  Father. 
At  Stickney  Memorial  Home,  Lynden,  Wash., 
about  fifty  Indian  children  and  youth  of  both 
sexes  are  being  trained  in  Christian  ways.  Quiet, 
gentle  children,  they  respond  readily  to  the 
touch  of  love  and  seem  to  prove  the  truth  of  the 
saying,  “ There  are  no  heathen  among  children.” 
If  the  Church  of  Christ  felt  its  obligation  in  any 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

adequate  degree  to  win  these  young  Indians  to 
Christ,  the  day  would  not  be  far  distant  when 
there  would  be  no  heathen  red  men  in  our  land, 
because,  in  the  day  of  opportunity,  the  children 
were  sought  and  won ! 

At  Mayette,  Kan.,  almost  within  sound  of  the 
church-going  bells  of  Topeka,  live  the  Potta- 
watomie Indians,  who  during  these  many  years 
have  carried  on  their  pagan  practices,  un- 
reached by  the  Gospel.  Now  The  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society  has  entered  the  unworked 
field,  and  with  Christian  song  and  teaching  and 
living  is  seeking  to  claim  these  wandering  ones 
for  our  Christ.  At  Pawnee  and  White  Eagle, 
Okla.,  and  Upper  Lake,  Cal.,  there  are  success- 
ful missions ; while  in  New  Mexico  a noble  work 
has  been  carried  on  during  many  years  at  Dulce 
and  Farmington,  largely  among  the  Navajo 
Indians. 

Early  in  its  history  The  Woman’s  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  established  work  for  the  Span- 
ish-speaking people  of  the  Southwest.  Mrs.  Jen- 
nie Fowler  "Willing  was  the  first  secretary  of 
this  Bureau,  and  in  1887  arranged  for  the  open- 
ing of  work  in  Albuquerque,  N.  M.  In  1890 
Mrs.  Anna  Kent,  of  East  Orange,  N.  J.,  suc- 
ceeded Mrs.  Willing,  and  since  that  time  she  has 
faithfully  labored  in  behalf  of  the  brown-faced, 
bright-eyed  girls  of  Spanish  extraction,  who 
have  won  not  only  her  interest  but  her  heart.  At 
large  personal  expense  of  time  and  means,  Mrs. 
Kent  has  from  time  to  time  visited  her  field  and 
now  is  enjoying  somewhat  of  the  fruits  of  her 
labor.  Between  three  and  four  hundred  girls 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 


from  all  parts  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  have 
been  trained  in  Harwood  Industrial  School,  and 
from  many  neat  and  Christian  homes  comes  the 
testimony,  “I  am  what  I am  because  I was  a 
pupil  in  Harwood  Industrial  School."  The  So- 
ciety owns  an  excellent  building  at  this  point, 
which  has  been  enlarged  from  time  to  time  and 
is  now  capable  of  accommodating  seventy-five 
pupils.  The  domestic  industries  are  taught,  and 
in  addition  two  young  women  conduct  the  school 
which  is  carried  on  in  the  Home.  The  teachers 
assist  largely  in  the  work  of  the  church  in  Albu- 
querque, and  the  school  there,  which  is  in  every 
sense  a Christian  Home,  is  eagerly  sought  by 
Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants,  for  their  chil- 
dren. Many  girls  who  have  passed  through  this 
Home  are  married  and  are  making  excellent 
wives  and  mothers,  shining  as  lights  in  their 
own  communities;  a number  of  them  as  wives 
of  young  preachers,  and  still  others  are  teachers 
among  their  own  people. 

A mission  school  under  this  Bureau  was 
opened  in  December,  1906,  in  Tucson,  Ariz., 
where  there  is  a wide  open  door,  and  already 
more  girls  are  knocking  for  admittance  than 
can  possibly  be  accommodated.  The  Society 
owns  a desirable  plot  for  building,  and  it  awaits 
only  the  necessary  funds  for  the  erection  of  an 
Industrial  Home  large  enough  to  accommodate 
the  many  girls  who  eagerly  reach  out  toward 
this  door  of  opportunity.  Says  Mrs.  Kent : 
“ These  girls  will  make  the  mothers  of  the  by 
and  by.  On  them  depends  the  future  of  the 
Southwest.  Neglected,  they  become  a menace  to 
Sig.  1 8 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

pure  living.  Given  the  chance  to  learn,  they  re- 
spond like  the  tropical  flowers  and  create  safe 
and  pure,  as  well  as  patriotic,  home  life.  Where 
is  the  steward  to  whom  the  Lord  has  committed 
treasure?  Will  he  or  she  not  consult  at  once 
with  Mrs.  Anna  Kent,  60  South  Clinton  Street, 
Bast  Orange,  N.  J.  ?” 

Work  for  Spanish-speaking  girls  is  also  car- 
ried on  at  Los  Angeles,  Southern  California, 
where  the  Prances  De  Pauw  Industrial  School  is 
training  about  fifty  bright-eyed  Spanish  girls. 
This  branch  of  the  work  is  under  the  care  of  a 
committee  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

In  1885,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Managers,  held  in  Philadelphia,  a “ Bureau 
for  Alaska ” was  created,  and  Mrs.  L.  H.  Dag- 
gett, of  Boston,  Mass.,  was  appointed  secretary. 
At  this  time  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
had  not  yet  opened  mission  work  in  Alaska,  and 
The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  did 
pioneer  work,  opening  a Home  and  school  at 
Unalaska.  Of  this  little  mission  a traveler 
wrote,  “It  is  a church  in  itself.  Wherever  we 
go  in  western  Alaska  we  hear  of  it.”  And  an- 
other said,  “For  1,000  miles  it  is  the  only  moral 
lighthouse,  the  only  place  of  Protestant  wor- 
ship.” With  varying  fortunes  the  work  pro^ 
gressed  from  year  to  year,  but  it  was  not  until 
1897  that  Jesse  Lee  Home,  a commodious  build- 
ing, was  completed  in  Unalaska,  under  the  per- 
sonal supervision  of  Mrs.  S.  L.  Beiler,  at  that 
time  secretary  of  the  Bureau.  After  the 
lamented  death  of  Mrs.  Beiler,  Mrs.  R.  H. 
Young,  of  Long  Beach,  CaL,  was  made  secre- 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 

tary,  and  to  this  work  she  has  since  given  most 
efficient  service.  At  Jesse  Lee  Home  about  fifty 
boys  and  girls  are  sheltered  and  admirably 
trained  and  taught  in  Christian  living.  Some 
are  Aleuts,  others  Eskimos.  The  Aleuts  are 
difficult  to  reach  religiously,  as  they  have  been 
so  long  under  the  influence  of  the  Greek  Church, 
but  the  Eskimos  respond  readily  and  make  ex- 
cellent Christians.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  P.  W.  Newhall 
have  been  the  faithful  superintendents  of  this 
work  for  several  years  past,  and  are  now  return- 
ing to  the  States,  owing  to  the  inroads  which 
ten  years  of  heroic  toil  in  that  isolated  field  have 
made  upon  Mrs.  Newhall  ?s  constitution.  They 
are  succeeded  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Spence,  who  have 
already  entered  upon  their  work  with  the  finest 
prospect  of  success.  It  is  necessary  to  have  a 
Christian  physician  in  charge  of  this  Home, 
since  there  are  no  doctors  in  the  place,  or  within 
a great  distance,  and  a small  hospital  has  been 
erected  in  connection  with  the  Home,  which  is 
a great  blessing  to  the  small  community,  and 
even  to  the  islands  lying  near. 

Urgent  calls  have  been  coming  of  late  years 
to  open  a mission  among  the  Eskimos,  who  are 
eager  seekers  after  light.  After  much  diligent 
inquiry  the  location  decided  upon  was  Sinuk, 
about  thirty  miles  from  Nome.  Sinuk  is  a small 
Eskimo  village,  the  only  industry  being  hunting 
and  fishing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Sellon,  of 
Portland,  Ore.,  offered  themselves  for  this  work, 
and  during  the  past  year  have  been  carrying  it 
forward  with  great  success.  A Government 
school  has  been  opened  this  autumn  with  Miss 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

May  Powell  as  teacher,  a sister  of  Mrs.  Sellon, 
who  spent  the  previous  year  in  Jesse  Lee  Home. 
A herd  of  reindeer  has  been  loaned  to  this  mis- 
sion and  it  is  hoped  will  prove  not  only  profit- 
able to  the  mission,  but  will  afford  a means  of 
subsistence  to  many  Eskimos.  Plans  are  being 
made  to  teach  the  men  carpenter  work,  gold  min- 
ing, etc.,  and  the  women  sewing,  mending  and 
home  making.  The  religious  services  are  largely 
attended,  and  the  children  of  the  school  are  eager 
to  learn. 

In  1893  The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety opened  its  hospitable  doors  to  a sister  or- 
ganization, “The  Woman’s  Missionary  Society 
of  the  Oriental  Bureau,”  established  to  work 
among  Asiatics  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  A work 
similar  in  character  to  that  already  established 
was  carried  on  under  the  new  administration. 
Two  workers  were  erupted,  and  the  three  lines 
of  effort-rescue  work,  children’s  schools  and 
daily  visitation — were  continued  with  vigor. 
The  Oriental  Home  in  San  Francisco  received 
Chinese  children  and  young  women,  and  to  it 
was  brought  from  time  to  time  young  girls  saved 
by  our  missionaries  from  a fate  worse  than 
death.  It  became  an  asylum  of  refuge  for  many, 
and  the  mission  day  school  and  Sunday  school, 
together  with  religious  services  and  the  house-to- 
house  visitation  of  a faithful  missionary,  accom- 
plished untold  good.  So  vigorous  was  the  war- 
fare carried  on  by  our  own  and  other  Christian 
missionaries  against  the  system  of  child  slavery 
and  the  importation  of  young  Chinese  women 
for  the  worst  purposes,  that  in  time  the  strong 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 

hand  of  the  law  was  reached  forward  to  suppress 
these  evils.  At  the  time  of  the  great  earthquake 
and  fire  the  Oriental  Home  was  destroyed,  and 
since  that  time  the  work  has  been  carried  on  in 
rented  quarters  in  Berkeley,  Cal.  A new  Home 
will  be  erected  on  the  old  site  at  the  earliest 
possible  date,  and  the  truly  Christian  work  of 
providing  shelter  for  hunted  lives,  and  teaching 
and  training  these  sisters  of  the  Orient,  will  con- 
tinue so  long  as  the  need  exists. 

It  became  necessary  in  time  to  open  a Home 
for  Japanese  women  and  children,  which  was 
done,  near  the  Japanese  church.  Oriental 
steamers  were  met  and  advice  and  temporary 
assistance  often  given  to  the  incoming  girls  and 
women.  Work  similar  in  character  to  that  car- 
ried on  in  the  Oriental  Home  is  conducted  here 
under  the  superintendence  of  Miss  Margarita 
Lake,  who  for  several  years  was  the  successful 
superintendent  of  the  Oriental  Home,  which  is 
now  presided  over  by  a capable  and  devoted 
lady,  Miss  Carrie  G.  Davis. 

Under  the  Bureau  for  Japanese  and  Corean 
work,  of  which  Mrs.  Bishop  Hamilton  is  secre- 
tary, there  is  a delightful  Home  for  Japanese 
and  Corean  women,  known  as  the  Susannah 
Wesley  Home,  in  Honolulu.  The  mission  prop- 
erty consists  of  three  houses  containing  fifty 
rooms,  which  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  three 
lines  of  work,  rescue,  children’s  and  women’s 
Homes.  As  yet  the  number  of  workers  is  not 
sufficient  to  carry  on  the  three  lines  of  work,  but 
it  is  in  a healthy  condition  and  promises  large 
things  for  the  future. 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

4 4 The  heathen  at  home  ’ ’ are  surely  to  be  found 
in  Alaska  and  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  work 
of  this  Society  in  their  behalf  has  been  greatly 
blessed,  and  all  who  are  acquainted  with  it  in 
detail  give  hearty  thanks  to  God  for  the  love  and 
sacrifice  which  has  led  to  its  prosecution. 

During  the  past  year  over  a million  immi- 
grants landed  at  our  various  ports  of  entry. 
Early  in  the  life  of  the  Society  a missionary  of 
The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  was  sta- 
tioned at  Castle  Garden,  New  York  City.  To  her 
was  committed  the  task  of  aiding  immigrant  girls 
and  women  in  every  way  possible.  It  was  soon 
found  that  to  do  this  effectually,  a Home  was 
needed,  and  the  well-known  “Immigrant  Girls’ 
Home,”  at  9 State  Street,  New  York,  is  the  out- 
come of  the  prayers,  labors  and  sacrifices  of  the 
Society  at  this  point.  During  a single  year  from 
seven  to  eight  hundred  young  women  are  shel- 
tered in  the  Home,  some  for  a night  only,  others 
for  a longer  period.  Nearly  a thousand  steamers 
are  met  during  the  year  by  our  missionary,  and 
in  addition  to  temporal  aid,  sympathy  and  direc- 
tion, the  newcomers  are  cheered  and  strength- 
ened by  the  Christian  faith  and  hope  of  the 
workers  in  the  Home. 

For  a number  of  years  past  an  excellent  Home 
for  Immigrants  has  been  maintained  at  72  Mar- 
ginal Street,  East  Boston,  Mass.  In  this  ex- 
cellent Home  distinctive  evangelistic  work  is 
done,  not  only  in  the  way  of  Gospel  meetings  for 
immigrants,  but  also  in  evangelistic  efforts  put 
forth  for  the  people  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. There  is  no  question  but  that  large  num- 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 

bers  of  young  women  have  been  saved  from 
human  fiends  through  the  agency  of  these  Immi- 
grant Girls'  Homes. 

At  Philadelphia  the  work  is  carried  on  by  a 
deaconess  who  meets  the  steamers,  distributes 
good  reading  matter,  gives  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments, counsels  and  assists  in  various  ways,  and, 
if  need  be,  provides  lodgings  for  girls  tempo- 
rarily stranded.  One  of  the  wisest  officials  of 
our  Church  deliberately  says,  that  if  The 
Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  existed  only 
for  the  work  at  our  national  ports  of  entry,  its 
being  would  be  amply  justified. 

On  the  Pacific  Coast,  Chinese  and  Japanese 
steamers  are  met  by  our  missionaries,  and  many 
an  innocent  girl  decoyed  to  this  country  by  false 
representation  has  been  saved  through  our 
workers  from  a fate  worse  than  death. 

While  a large  part  of  the  mission  work  under- 
taken in  cities  is  carried  on  by  deaconesses  work- 
ing under  the  direction  of  The  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society,  there  are  yet  three  distinct 
city  missions  owned  and  operated  by  this 
Society. 

The  E.  E.  Marcy  Industrial  Home,  Chicago, 
111.,  is  situated  in  a neighborhood  in  which  over 
twenty  languages  are  spoken,  and  upon  whose 
streets  one  may  walk  for  blocks  without  meeting 
a native  American.  In  this  Christian  Settlement 
Home  the  various  lines  of  work  prosecuted  in 
Settlements  are  carried  on  most  successfully. 
During  a single  year  from  twenty-five  hundred 
to  three  thousand  children  and  youth  pass 
through  the  various  classes  taught  in  the  Home. 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

A Dispensary  is  conducted  in  which  from  three 
to  four  thousand  persons  are  treated  in  a single 
year.  The  Kindergarten,  the  Mothers’  Meeting, 
the  Sewing  and  Cooking  Schools  and  the  various 
Clubs  for  boys  and  girls  are  carried  on  with 
enthusiasm  and  success.  A church,  with  a pas- 
tor appointed  by  the  conference,  with  its  various 
agencies  for  good,  is  an  important  part  of  this 
piission.  The  nationalities  most  largely  repre- 
sented in  this  work  are  the  Bohemian  and  the 
Italian  children,  although  many  Jews  of  various 
sorts  are  included  in  the  numerous  classes. 

A third  city  mission  work  of  interest  and  un- 
told value,  known  as  the  Hull  Street  Settlement 
and  Medical  Mission,  is  located  in  Boston,  Mass. 
Here,  under  one  roof,  are  all  the  features  of  the 
true  Settlement,  although  the  first  and  main  de- 
partment is  the  Medical  Mission.  This  has  a 
clinic  staff  of  thirteen  doctors,  a nurses’  depart- 
ment and  a district  work  done  by  trained  nurses. 
During  a single  year  nine  thousand  patients 
have  been  treated  at  the  clinics  and  nearly  two 
hundred  operations  performed;  while  the  visits 
made  in  homes  mount  up  into  the  thousands. 
The  spiritual  welfare  of  the  beneficiaries  of  this 
Settlement  is  made  the  leading  thought  of  the 
work,  and  the  beneficent  results  are  seen  in 
countless  cases.  The  founder  and  superintend- 
ent is  Dr.  Harriette  J.  Cooke,  who  has  been  these 
many  years  as  an  angel  of  light  and  mercy 
among  the  poor  and  wretched  residents  of  the 
miserable  neighborhood  in  which  she  finds  it  her 
joy  to  live  and  labor. 

At  the  seventh  annual  meeting  of  The 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 


Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  held  in  Bos- 
ton, in  1888,  formal  action  was  taken  by  which  a 
Committee  on  Deaconesses'  Work  (later  changed 
into  a Bureau),  was  created.  By  this  action 
the  Society  made  itself  responsible  for  the  em- 
ployment of  deaconesses  where  practicable.  Mrs. 
Jane  Bancroft  Robinson  (then  Miss  Bancroft) 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  this  work,  and  during 
sixteen  years  of  devoted  service,  brought  it  to 
such  a state  of  efficiency  that  a division  of  labor 
was  required.  There  is  now  in  charge  of  the 
Deaconesses'  Department  of  The  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society  a general  superintendent, 
Miss  Henrietta  A.  Bancroft,  five  Deaconesses' 
Bureaus  with  their  respective  secretaries,  and  a 
Standing  Committee  of  Training  Schools,  of 
which  Mrs.  Robinson  is  the  capable  and  gifted 
head. 

The  Society  has  now  five  “Rest"  Homes,  six 
Hospitals,  three  National  and  three  Conference 
Training  Schools,  and  property  owned  by  the 
various  deaconesses ' institutions  of  the  Society 
valued  at  nearly  $700,000.  The  deaconesses 
and  probationers  at  the  close  of  last  year  num- 
bered five  hundred  and  eleven.  These  are  scat- 
tered over  the  country  in  homes,  hospitals, 
training  schools  and  stations,  and  the  work  is 
steadily  growing  both  in  numbers  and  efficiency. 

The  three  National  Training  Schools  are  lo- 
cated respectively  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  for  the 
East;  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  for  the  Middle  West; 
and  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  for  the  Pacific  Coast. 

To  the  trained  and  consecrated  deaconess  is 
entrusted  a large  part  of  the  city  work  carried 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

on  by  The  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society. 
In  churches  and  mission  halls,  in  the  homes  of 
the  poor,  with  the  little  children  teaching  and 
training  them  in  Christian  ways,  by  the  bedside 
of  the  sick,  at  railroad  stations,  meeting  the  un- 
wary traveler,  in  the  mining  camps,  among  peo- 
ple of  strange  speech,  anywhere  and  everywhere, 
she  is  found  as  an  evangel  of  love  and  truth, 
diligently  laboring  to  hasten  the  coming  of  the 
King.  Churches  have  been  established  in  the 
dark  quarters  of  more  than  one  of  our  great 
cities  through  the  humble  agency  of  the  Kinder- 
garten, the  Mission  Class,  the  Children’s  Clubs 
and  the  Mothers’  Meetings,  begun  by  the  deacon- 
esses and  carried  forward  in  faith  and  patience 
to  this  larger  issue.  The  deaconess  work  has 
proved  a strong  arm  throughout  The  Woman’s 
Home  Missionary  Society,  and  is  going  forward 
to  still  greater  and  better  things.  With  gifted 
and  consecrated  leadership,  it  has  already  been 
greatly  used  of  God  to  win  the  hearts  of  Meth- 
odist women  to  the  need  of  Methodist  work  on 
our  own  shores,  and  the  blessing  of  God  has 
rested  upon  it  in  marked  measure. 

The  real  estate  of  The  Woman’s  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  is  valued  at  over  $1,100,000.  It 
has  endowments  and  other  invested  funds  of 
nearly  $40,000.  Its  income  in  cash  for  the  year 
ending  July  31,  1906,  was  $398,430.  This  "does 
not  include  moneys  contributed  for  local  work, 
or  cash  supplies.  During  the  past  three  years 
the  Society  has  been  engaged,  in  addition  to  its 
other  activities,  in  raising  what  is  known  as 
“The  Silver  Offering,”  which  is  devoted  to 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 

paying  off  the  debt  accumulated  during  previous 
years.  Already  three-fourths  of  the  debt  of 
$200,000  has  been  cleared  away  without  the 
regular  income  of  this  Society  diminishing  in 
any  degree.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  steadily  in- 
creased. It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  the  en- 
tire amount  will  be  completed  before  the  close 
of  the  fiscal  year  of  1908. 

The  membership  of  The  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  consists  of  four  grades:  “Moth- 
ers' Jewels";  the  little  ones  of  the  Church  up 
to  ten  years  of  age  become  members  of  the  So- 
ciety by  the  payment  of  ten  cents  per  annum. 
“Home  Guards,"  children  from  ten  to  fourteen, 
have  an  annual  membership  fee  of  twenty-five 
cents.  “The  Queen  Esther  Circles"  include 
young  people  of  fourteen  and  upwards,  the  mem- 
bership dues  being  fifty  cents  per  annum. 
Adult  members  of  the  Society  organized  into 
Auxiliaries  pay  membership  fees  of  $1.10  per 
annum;  the  “two  cents  a week  and  a prayer" 
being  slightly  augmented  in  favor  of  the  Con- 
tingent Fund.  By  the  payment  of  $20  at  one 
time,  one  is  made  a life  member  of  the  Society; 
and  by  the  payment  of  $100,  one  is  made  a life 
patron  of  the  Society.  The  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  appeals  to  the  great  Church, 
of  which  two-thirds  of  its  members  are  women, 
for  a larger  membership,  in  order  that  it  may 
do  a larger  and  better  work  for  the  Master ; and 
in  this  behalf  it  appeals  to  the  pastors  for  sym- 
pathy and  help  in  the  organization  of  Auxiliary 
Societies  to  carry  on  this  great  work. 

A significant  fact  concerning  the  kind  and 


Methodism  and  the  Renubiic 


value  of  the  work  done  by  The  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society  is  this : that  in  almost  every 
Home  established  by  the  Society,  a number  of 
applicants  knocking  at  the  doors  of  our  institu- 
tions is  far  in  excess  of  the  number  that  can  be 
admitted.  In  several  instances  there  are  wait- 
ing lists  of  eager,  hungry  girls  which  outnum- 
ber the  applicants  actually  received.  Thus, 
year  by  year,  worthy  girls  in  large  numbers  are 
turned  back  from  perhaps  the  only  hopeful  out- 
look in  life  because  the  Church  of  Christ  does 
not  see  and  appreciate  its  opportunity ! 

The  periodicals  of  the  Society  are  Woman’s 
Home  Missions  and  Children’s  Home  Missions ; 
the  subscription  price  of  the  former  being  thirty- 
five  cents,  and  of  the  latter  twenty  cents  per 
annum.  Ten  or  more  copies  of  the  child’s 
paper  wTill  be  sent  to  one  address  at  the  rate  of 
ten  cents  each. 

The  editor  of  both  papers  is  Miss  Martha  Van 
Marter,  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City,  and 
the  publisher  is  Miss  Mary  Belle  Evans,  also  of 
150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

The  demand  for  Leaflet  literature  is  large  and 
constantly  increasing.  Miss  Alice  M.  Guernsey, 
of  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  is  the  editor 
of  Leaflets,  and  Miss  M.  E.  Moorhouse,  same  ad- 
dress, is  the  office  secretary  in  charge,  to  whom 
requests  for  literature  should  be  sent. 

An  Interdenominational  Course  of  Home  Mis- 
sionary Study,  now  in  its  fifth  year,  is  enthusi- 
astically pursued  by  the  Auxiliaries  of  the  So- 
ciety, the  book  for  the  year  1906-7  being 
“ Incoming  Millions, ” by  Dr.  Howard  B.  Grose, 


The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 

of  the  Baptist  Church ; and  the  one  for  the  year 
1907-8,  “Citizens  of  To-Morrow/’  by  Miss  Alice 
M.  Guernsey. 

Who  can  doubt  that  The  Woman’s  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  called  into  being  by  the  good  Provi- 
dence of  God  for  such  a time  as  this  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  land?  The  ever  broadening  demand 
for  such  service  as  can  be  rendered  by  The 
Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Church,  the  growing  recognition  and  response  of 
the  Church,  and  the  numberless  redeemed  lives 
and  regenerated  homes  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  our  Nation,  ail  bear  testimony 
that  the  little  group  of  loyal  and  far-seeing 
women  who  in  1880  pledged  themselves  to  this 
service,  were  truly  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord. 

The  Society  has  been  greatly  blessed  in  its 
leaders.  Mrs.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  the  first 
president,  served  loyally  until  called  up  higher 
in  the  summer  of  1889.  Her  mantle  fell  upon 
her  beloved  associate,  Mrs.  John  Davis,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  who  three  years  later  followed 
into  the  bright  beyond.  In  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year  Mrs.  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  widely  and 
favorably  known  throughout  the  Church,  was 
chosen  to  fill  this  responsible  position,  and  dur- 
ing the  fourteen  years  of  her  leadership  has 
proven  herself  a tower  of  strength  to  the  cause 
so  dear  to  her  heart. 

The  first  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  Eliz- 
abeth Lownes  Rust,  during  nearly  twenty  years 
gave  to  the  young  Society  a service  as  rare  as  it 


Methodism  and  the  Republic 

was  broad  and  inspiring.  To  her  tireless  en- 
thusiasm and  devoted  labor  the  Society  in  large 
part  owes  its  very  existence.  In  October,  1899, 
she  entered  upon  the  higher  service,  and  in  the 
same  month  Mrs.  Delia  Lathrop  Williams,  of 
Delaware,  Ohio,  was  called  to  fill  the  place  left 
vacant.  During  the  succeeding  years  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams has  shown  herself  in  every  way  worthy  to 
be,  the  successor  of  the  great  leader. 

In  November,  1883,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Aiken,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  was  elected  recording  secretary, 
and  up  to  this  date  she  still  worthily  holds  the 
position.  A model  recording  secretary  she  is, 
and  her  services  to  the  Society  are  as  they  have 
been  during  all  years,  invaluable.  Mrs.  George 
0.  Thompson,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1889  was 
elected  general  treasurer  of  the  Society,  follow- 
ing Mrs.  Delia  Lathrop  Williams,  who  was  called 
to  fill  Mrs.  Rust’s  position.  A strong,  patient, 
accurate  and  faithful  treasurer  she  has  been,  and 
to  her  the  Society  owes  a large  meed  of  praise. 

There  are  many  others  among  the  leaders  of 
this  great  organization,  past  and  present,  whom 
the  Society  delights  to  honor,  but  their  names 
are  written  above.  That  The  Woman’s  Home 
Missionary  Society  has  abundantly  proved  its 
right  to  exist  and  its  claim  to  the  confidence  of 
the  Church  cannot  be  doubted.  That  it  may  go 
on  its  glorious  way  so  long  as  oppressed  woman- 
hood and  childhood  continue  to  call  for  sym- 
pathy and  relief,  should  be  the  prayer  of  all 
true  patriot  and  Christian  hearts. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS -URBAN  A 


